Тесты для чтения по подготовке к ЕГЭ

1. Thoughtless behavior 5. Science brings hope

2. Benefits of private business 6. Road incident

3. Too complicated to use 7. More parking places

4. Bad for business 8. Personal choice

A. City center parking is expensive and many important roads are now closed to private transport. This would be fine — if public transport was cheap and convenient, but it is neither. The result is that people are avoiding the city center so restaurants, cinemas and shops are closing.

B. The motorcyclist drew a long side and I heard abusive language as he banged on the car roof. I immediately locked the car doors and tried to work out what was wrong. He then shouted that I had almost collided with him. Truth to tell — I didn’t see him until now. I tried to apologize but he wouldn’t listen.

C. They now have cars that run on electricity, solar power and even on vegetable oil. New petrol engines are super-efficient and make less harmful emissions. More people are working from home because of advances in communication technology and computer security. At last we have some grounds for optimism.

D. As she approached the traffic lights the driver in front of her tipped out a mess of fast food boxes, polystyrene cups and chip bags. She pressed her horn angrily. “Why don’t people consider what they do”, she wondered helplessly. “Someone will have to clear this up and we all have to pay for it.”

E. Sarah has worked for herself more than 10 years now. It had been risky but now her interior decoration business is a success. She loves being her own boss. It constantly amazes her that her friends in big corporations believe they have job security. How can they think this way when these companies are constantly firing people to make bigger profits?

F. It was not easy deciding. It never is when buying a new car. Reliability and comfort are big issues as are fuel economy, maintenance and so forth. A car has to feel right as well. Price and value for money are also critical. But in the end Ralph made his decision confident that it was just the right one for him.

G. Jane studied the small print. To make a successful insurance claim for her accident she needed so much information. Several complicated forms took hours to complete. She then needed three independent quotations, a witness statement, and a police statement and after everything she still had to pay the first $500 anyway.

1. A shop that inspired writers 5. Birth of a popular sport

2. Country’s brave defenders 6. Textile business links

3. A truly international place 7. A nice-sounding building

4. Governesses of rich children 8. The initial steps of commerce

A. Moscow has always been a multicultural city. If we look back at its history, we will see that there were several foreign communities living in Moscow on a permanent basis. We all know about German people inhabiting the banks of the Yauza river, where little Peter, the future tsar of all Russia, ran around, made friends and got his first ideas of learning about ships and fleets. But what do we know about the British community of Moscow? Did it even exist?

B. The first ties between Russia and Britain were formed in the middle of the 16th century in the time of Ivan the Terrible. It was then that some wealthy British merchants founded the Muscovy Company which held a monopoly on trade between Britain and Russia until 1698. The building of its Moscow headquarters was granted to the company by the tsar in 1556 and can be still visited at 4, Varvarka Street, known to us now as The Old English Court.

C. Beginning from the time of Peter the Great, several talented British military men moved to Russia. Many of them served as army generals and navy admirals, defending Russian borders in different wars and battles. Among the most famous ones were Field Marshall James Bruce, Field Marshall Barclay de Tolly and Admiral Thomas Mackenzie, all of them of Scottish origin.

D. In the 18th century, British industrialists made themselves known in Russia. One of the most outstanding figures was Robert McGill, who lived in Moscow and served as an intermediary between Lancashire mill engineers and the Russian cotton industry, and built over 150 mills (cotton factories) in Russia. Robert McGill had a house in Spiridonovka Street and together with his wife Jane was a prominent member of the British community in Moscow.

E. If you talk to Moscow concert musicians who were active between the 1960s and the 1990s, they will tell you of the fantastic acoustics of the “Melodiya” recording studio at 8, Voznesensky Lane, which they lovingly called ‘kirche’, mistakenly thinking it was a German church. This building, designed in the English neo-gothic architectural style, was in fact built in 1885 by Robert McGill and is St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, which was used as a recording studio in Soviet times.

F. Another spectacular example of British architecture in Moscow is the old building of TsUM next to the Bolshoy and Maly theatres. Built in the early 1900s, it was back then the biggest department store in Moscow. It was owned by Scottish merchants Andrew Muir and Archie Mirrielees. Mayakovsky mentions Muir&Mirrielees in several of his poems, while Chekhov named his dogs after its two owners.

G. In 1887, two other cotton industrialists from Lancashire, Clement and Harry Charnock, moved to work at a cotton factory in Orekhovo-Zuevo, near Moscow. They were both great football fans and decided to introduce this game to the workers of the factory. This resulted in the first professional football team in Russia which after the Revolution became the core of Moscow Dynamo team.

1. Education: the Way to the Top 5. Things worth learning

2. From Agony to Love 6. The right word can bring changes

3. Teaching to Learn 7. What my father taught me

4. Learning That Never Stops 8. The power of numbers

A. Education has the power to transform a person’s life. I am the living example of this. When I was on the streets, I thought I was not good at anything but I wrote a poem, and it got published. I went back to school to learn. I have learned the benefit of research and reading, of debate and listening. One day soon a group of fresh-faced college students will call me professor.

B. Language has the capacity to change the world and the way we live in it. People are often afraid to call things by their direct names, use taboos not to notice dangerous tendencies. Freedom begins with naming things. This has to happen in spite of political climates, careers being won or lost, and the fear of being criticized. After Helen Caldicott used the word ‘nuclear arms race’ an anti-nuclear movement appeared.

C. I never wanted to be a teacher. Yet years later, I find myself teaching high school English. I consider my job to be one of the most important aspects of my life, still I do not teach for the love of teaching. I am a teacher because I love to learn, and I have come to realize that the best way to learn is to teach.

D. One day my sister and I got one and the same homework. My sister finished the task in 2 minutes and went off to play. But I could not do it, so I went into my sister’s room and quickly copied her work. But there was one small problem: my father caught me. He didn’t punish me, but explained that cheating makes people feel helpless. And then I was left feeling guilty for cheating.

E. Lifelong learning does not mean spending all my time reading. It is equally important to get the habit of asking such questions as ‘what don’t I know about this topic, or subject?’, ‘what can I learn from this moment or person?’, and ‘what more do I need to learn?’ regardless of where I am, who I am talking to, or what I am doing.

F. Math has always been something that I am good at. Mathematics attracts me because of its stability. It has logic; it is dependable and never changes. There might be some additions to the area of mathematics, but once mathematics is created, it is set in stone. We would not be able to check emails or play videogames without the computer solving complex algorithms.

G. When my high school English teacher asked us to read Shakespeare, I thought it was boring and too difficult. I agonized over the syntax — I had never read anything like this. But now I am a Shakespeare professor, arid enjoy teaching Hamlet every semester. Each time I re-read the play, I find and learn something new for myself.

1. Look to your past 5. Time out with a purpose

2. Health benefits of hobbies 6. Finding time for your hobby

3. Finding a hobby that suits you 7. Making new friends

4. Dangerous hobby 8. Finding excitement

A. Hobbies provide work-free and responsibility-free time in your schedule. This can be especially useful for people who feel stressed by all that they have to do and need to recharge their batteries. For some of us it may be difficult to give ourselves permission to just sit and relax. Having a hobby, however, can provide a break and help people feel that they’re not just ‘sitting around’ but are using their free time for something productive.

B. Are there things you enjoyed as a child that you might still enjoy as an adult? Maybe you had a fantastic record collection, loved to make clothes for your dolls or were always out on your bike. Those are all things you could pick up again as an adult that would make great hobbies. Or there may be hobbies in your home right now that you started but have recently forgotten about. Maybe it’s time to finish that crochet project or pick up the guitar again.

C. If you’re adding a new thing into your life, you have to take time and focus away from something else. The good news is that most of us have a lot of time we’re not using well, either because we’re spending a lot of time online or watching TV or just wasting time we could be spending on our hobbies. See if you can spend a half hour or so every other day to explore your interest. This way it would be best in case you find that hobby isn’t for you after all.

D. Of course, everyone is different and your personality does play a role in what sorts of hobbies you’ll like. If you don’t have a lot of patience you might feel that knitting is too much for you, but exploring quick sewing projects might be a better choice. Maybe you really like being with friends, so you need to take a class or have an interest that you can do with a group. If you travel a lot, something portable or that you can do anywhere is helpful.

E. One study found that those who engage in physical leisure activities for at least 20 minutes once a week are less likely to have a fatigue. Other research found that enjoyable activities performed during leisure time were associated with lower blood pressure, total cortisol, and body mass index, and feelings of better physical function. Such activities were also associated with higher levels of positive psychosocial states and lower levels of depression.

F. When you look for material or equipment for your hobby, you are likely to find people who have the same hobby as you. You may be surprised to know how serious some people are about their hobbies and therefore would have great knowledge of their chosen pastime. Instead of meeting people from your work or college or those whom you have grown apart with, it is a great way to meet people with whom you have something in common.

G. For those who aren’t very stressed and may actually be under stimulated, hobbies provide a nice source of eustress, the healthy kind of stress that we all need to remain feeling happy about life. If the rest of your life is somewhat dull or uninspiring, hobbies can provide meaning and fun, and can break up a boring schedule, without feeling like work. In other words, hobbies can provide just the right amount of challenge.

1. Just Do It! 5. Take it easy!

2. Just What the Doctor Ordered 6. Hard to guess the meaning

3. Dangerous Consequences 7. The devil is not so black as he is painted

4. Source of the Problem 8. A hidden problem

A. You can often find articles and books addressing the problem of procrastination. If you don't know this word, you might think it was a terrible disease. In reality, procrastination can be defined as a bad habit of doing something less important in order to avoid doing something more important. People procrastinate in many different areas, but we will focus on procrastinating at school, where it is a frequent problem.

B. Procrastination at school can lead to poor grades, low test scores, and finally not getting into a good university. Another negative result of procrastination is the stress of waiting to the last minute to do something. This can lead to staying up all night to prepare for a test. Also, the constant stress of having something hanging over your head, being scolded and criticized by teachers and parents can lead to feelings of guilt and worthlessness.

C. Usually it is very obvious when somebody is procrastinating, for example, playing video games instead of doing homework. Sometimes, however, it can be less obvious. Sharpening your pencils and cleaning your desk may fool some people into thinking you are working hard, but can also be forms of procrastination. Some pupils are even able to fool themselves into thinking they are working, when they are just trying to avoid real work.

D. It is not always clear why people procrastinate. Some are just lazy or don't have enough willpower, but there may be other reasons, perfectionism for one. Some people are afraid that they will be judged by others as failures if their work is less than perfect. For example, a pupil may fear the judgment of parents and teachers on a school report. According to psychologists, this fear of failure may be a cause of procrastination.

E. Although it is difficult, there are ways to stop procrastinating. One way of doing it is to find out why you are procrastinating and deal with those problems. If you are a perfectionist, try to do the task quickly and not worry about it being perfect. Another solution, especially when the task seems too big, is to break it into smaller steps and do those one by one. This may lessen the desire to procrastinate.

F. Still, procrastinating can be a good thing. For those who spend much more time working on a project than is necessary, waiting until the last minute can be a more economical use of time. Also, some people while procrastinating do things that are creative or useful in other ways. Finally, a certain amount of procrastination is part of human nature. Feeling guilty about it can be worse and more damaging than the procrastination itself.

G. Procrastination is also a popular subject of laughter in films and TV shows and there are many coffee mugs, cartoons, and notebooks covered with jokes about it. Though many people consider it a serious psychological problem and even view it as a kind of disease, others laugh about it and are even proud to be procrastinators

1. Motivating opportunity 5. Numbers come first

2. Books come first 6. Relevant for today

3. Teachers to come first 7. Learn by using

4. Junk food — out 8. Fewer and worse

A. High school students have rights protected by the Constitution like everyone else, but it is complicated. There is no one set of rules. State laws differ from federal laws, and school board regulations vary from place to place. Students discover what rights they have by trying to exercise them, and, if prevented, taking the school to court.

B. Kids who live on junk food grow up to be fat and unhealthy, so schools should teach good health. They should fill their vending machines with health foods, and lunch programs should serve nothing but nutritious meals. If some kids complain, so what? They complain about algebra, too.

C. There is a new five-year program that lets students earn a high school diploma and two years of college at no cost. It is getting kids who are at risk to become more mature in the lower grades, to take college-prep courses, study harder, and focus on a career. Once in the program, very few drop out.

D. Neuroscience (brain science) is finding out how teaching affects the brain. It has discovered pre-school kids can learn numbers and simple math because the number instinct is hard-wired in the brain. So is the language instinct, but teaching kids to read is harder. It takes longer for the brain to connect sounds with letters — up to 11 years.

E. In hard times, colleges must be relevant. Today’s students want Chinese and Arabic, not Latin and Greek. Economics is in demand; and even English classes are teaching how to network, write a resume, and present oneself in an interview. It is not a good time to be a philosophy professor.

F. Computers help with drills and practice, but they are not much help in higher-level thinking. In the lower grades, money is better spent on new textbooks, music programs and the arts. In the higher grades, there is no choice. Everyone should learn to use the electronic genie.

G. The US program, No Child Left Behind, seeks to place a qualified teacher in every classroom. But where is the pool of qualified people out there waiting to teach disadvantaged kids in the cities? US policy should provide better training and support for those already teaching. They could start a new program and call it No Teacher Left Behind.

1. A step to a wider variety 5. Origin of theatre

2. Varieties of theatre 6. Ladies enter

3. Modern problems 7. Not the least important

4. Theatre and politics 8. Stars for a repertoire

A. Modern Western theatre comes in large measure from ancient Greek drama, from which it takes technical terminology, classification into genres, and many of its themes, stock characters, and plot elements. The Greeks also developed the concepts of dramatic criticism, acting as a career, and theatre architecture. The theatre of ancient Greece consisted of three types of drama: tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play.

B. Western theatre developed and expanded considerably under the Romans. The Roman historian Livy wrote that the Romans first experienced theatre in the 4th century BC. The theatre of ancient Rome was a thriving and diverse art form, ranging from festival performances of street theatre, nude dancing, and acrobatics, to the staging of broadly appealing situation comedies, to the high style, verbally elaborate tragedies.

C. Theatre took on many different forms in the West between the 15th and 19th centuries, including commedia dell’arte and melodrama. The general trend was away from the poetic drama of the Greeks and the Renaissance and toward a more naturalistic prose style of dialogue, especially following the Industrial Revolution. Theatre today, broadly defined, includes performances of plays and musicals, ballets, operas and various other forms.

D. The eighteenth century in Britain introduced women to the stage, which would have been extremely inappropriate before. These women were looked at as celebrities but on the other hand, it was still very new and revolutionary that they were on the stage and some said they were unladylike and looked down n. Charles II did not like young men playing the parts of young women, so he asked that women play their own parts.

E. Theatre took a big pause during 1642 and 1660 in England because of Cromwell’s Interregnum. Theatre was seen as something sinful and the Puritans tried very hard to drive it out of their society. Because of this stagnant period, once Charles II came back to the throne in 1660, theatre (among other arts) exploded because of a lot of influence from France, where Charles was in exile the years previous to his reign.

F. Stagecraft is a term referring to the technical aspects of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing scenery, hanging and focusing of lighting, design and procurement of costumes, makeup, props, stage management, and recording and mixing of sound. Considered a technical rather than an artistic field, it is equally crucial for the practical implementation of a designer’s artistic idea.

G. While most modern theatre companies rehearse one piece of theatre at a time, perform that piece for a set “run”, retire the piece, and begin rehearsing a new show, repertory companies rehearse multiple shows at one time. Repertory theatre generally involves a group of similarly accomplished actors, and relies more on the reputation of the group than on an individual star actor.

1. Lucky escape 5. Ordering in

2. Long journey 6. Fast food is unhealthy

3. Good way to meet 7. A new way to buy

4. Growing in popularity 8. Too much choice

A. When you are tired and don’t want to cook, just pick up the phone. Restaurants are expensive and take some time and effort to reach if you don’t live in the centre of town. Ordering food for home delivery is cheap and these days there is a huge choice. Indian and Chinese are the most popular but I prefer to get in a pizza.

B. A school group on a skiing holiday to Italy narrowly avoided disaster when their coach left the road and fell eighty meters into a valley. Trees slowed down the falling coach and because of the fresh new snow the vehicle landed quite softly. Amazingly no one was injured.

C. A teenager from London is making news around the world. On his recent holiday in Australia he set off without his mobile phone. Experts are amazed that he is still alive after walking for fourteen days, surviving extreme temperatures and living off the land. However, a lot of Australians are unhappy with him. The rescue cost is estimated at more than 100,000 dollars.

D. You can buy almost anything, new or second hand, on the internet. On one site you can offer the price you want to pay for something. Whoever offers the highest price can buy that item. Recently I made the highest offer for a nearly new pair of skis. However, I only paid half of what they would have cost new in a shop.

E. Making new friends on the internet makes so much sense. You can see someone’s photo and read if they share your interests and opinions. The important thing is you can spend time getting to know people who are attractive to you and looking for the same things in life that you are. Still, for personal safety, most sites recommend that in person you meet initially in a public place like a cafe or a gallery.

F. I like eating out but some restaurants have huge menus. And usually every item sounds mouthwatering. The trouble is I like to read about everything on offer and sometimes waiters wait for me rather than on me! The other issue is how they can offer so much whilst maintaining quality? I’d rather take one of five options knowing that each one was brilliant.

G. “Facebook” is a social networking website that has 250 million members and despite lots of criticism by employers, governments and media, continues to attract thousands of new users daily. In spite of claims of concerns about privacy, safety and wasting time at work, “Facebook” is one of the most rapidly establishing phenomena of recent years.

1. Water-related diseases 5. Physical characteristics

2. Personal measure 6. Worrying statistics

3. Ways of using 7. Hard to get

4. More than survival 8. Natural threats

A. Water is the most important resource for mankind. It is a condition for all life on our planet, a factor for any social and technological development, a possible source of welfare or misery, cooperation or conflict. 97 percent of it is undrinkable because it’s saltwater. Only 3 percent of the world’s water supply is fresh water, and 77 percent of that is frozen. Of the 23 percent that is not frozen, only a half a percent is available to supply everyone with all the water they need to survive.

B. Natural disasters like earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes and other types of incidents can disrupt drinking water and waste water systems. Water consumers, water and wastewater utilities, and private well and septic owners should be informed on what to do in emergency. It is important to be prepared because drinking water and wastewater disruptions can directly threaten your health, the health of your family, and the health of your community.

C. Water security is about fighting poverty and hunger, and protecting the environment. It is about saving children from disease. It is about allowing girls to go to school instead of walking kilometers to fetch water. It is about providing women and men with access to sanitation, wherever they live. Fundamentally, it is about peace. When we talk about water security, we are really talking about human rights, human dignity, and the development of all societies.

D. Water is the only substance that occurs naturally as a solid (ice), a liquid and a gas (water vapor). It covers about 70 percent of the Earth for approximately 1,386 million cubic kilometers. In its purest form, it’s odorless, nearly colorless and tasteless. Water molecules are naturally attracted and stick to each other like magnets. This is the reason behind many of water’s special properties, such as the fact that it’s denser in its liquid state than in its solid state (ice floats on water).

E. You use water to clean yourself, your clothes, your dishes, your car and everything else around you. You can travel on it or jump in it to cool off on hot summer days. Many of the products that you use every day contain water or were manufactured using it. It seems pretty simple, and yet there are a lot of things about it that scientists still don’t fully understand.

F. Every day you lose water. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply. So how much fluid does the average, healthy adult living in a temperate climate need? The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake for men is roughly 3 liters a day. The intake for women is 2.2 liters a day. But in truth, your water needs depend on many factors, including your health, how active you are and where you live.

G. Around 1.1 billion people globally do not have access to clean water supply sources whereas 2.4 billion people do not have bathrooms with running water. About 2 million people die every year due to water-related diseases, most of them are children less than 5 years of age. The most affected are people in developing countries, living in extreme conditions of poverty.

1. Travel memories 5. Popular hobby

2. Animal lover magazine 6. Family magazine

3. Travel to stars 7. People and nature

4. Star dreams 8. Animals in danger

A. Most people who spend a holiday travelling take a camera with them and photograph anything that interests them – sights of a city, views of mountains, lakes, waterfalls, men and women, children, ruins of ancient buildings, and even birds and animals. Later looking through their albums they will remember the happy time they have had, the islands, outries and cities they have seen.

B. Of course, different people dream of different things. Someone wishes a calm and quiet life; others imagine their life as a never-ending adventure. The majority dream of something concrete: a villa in some warm place, an account in a Swiss bank, a splendid car… It’s interesting to know what the dreams of people who already have all this are. Celebrities, as we know, never hide their unusual hobbies, and often shock us with their extravagant behaviour.

C. It is Junior Baseball Magazine’s mission to provide information that enhances the youth baseball experience for the entire family. The player improves his skills and is more successful. The family enjoys the activity more and shares this precious time in their life. Junior Baseball emphasizes good sportsmanship, safety, physical fitness and wholesome family values.

D. The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison like industrial, nuclear and chemical waste. The Mediterranean Sea is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following it. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas. Every ten minutes one species of animal, plant or insect dies out forever.

E. Lots of people all over the world enjoy collecting stamps. Stamps are like little pictures. Very often they show the flowers or the trees which grow in this or

that country, or they can show different kinds of transport of the country. Stamps may also have portraits of famous people on them. Some stamps show art work from the history of the country.

F. “Friend” is the title of my favorite magazine. It consists of 70 pages, with lots of colourful and bright pictures and provides interesting and useful information for people who love animals. The magazine includes numerous articles devoted to various topics connected with domestic animals, ways to take care of them, pet food, animal health and many other topics crucial for any animal lover.

G. People are beginning to realize that environmental problems are not just somebody else’s. Many people join and support various international organizations and green parties. What could be more important than human life? Polluted air, poisoned water, wastelands, noise, smoke – all these influence not only nature but people as well. Everything should be done to improve ecological conditions on our planet.

1. Musical performance 5. Film for all ages

2. Attractive landscape 6. Exciting hobby

3. Perfect holidays 7. Colorful festival

4. Portrait of a girl 8. Interesting book

A. This is a full-length (ninety minutes) cartoon, which is entertaining for both adults and children over six. The animation and colour are of very high quality and the story has lots of fun and excitement. The plot is quick moving and full of surprises. There’s romance, action, comedy, music and lots of fantastic songs and dances.

B. This is a full-blooded magnificently written portrait of history’s most fascinating woman. Readers will lose themselves for hours in this richly entertaining novel full of dramatic twists and turns. From the spectacular era that bears her name comes the spellbinding story of Elizabeth I — her tragic childhood, her confrontation with Mary, Queen of Scots and her brilliant reign.

C. The young woman is shown in a “shepherdess” hat and white dress, recalling a classical chiton. The background landscape, common in such paintings, seems to indicate the heroine’s closeness to nature, to the ordinary joys of life. The painter’s colour range — at times as translucent as porcelain, at others muted like mother -of- pearl — is based upon subtle plays of gray and green, light blue and pink.

D. In this picture one is struck by the artist’s absolute mastery in portraying natural details, whether the dry, sandy soil of the forest, the clear stream of water in the foreground, the yellow bark and fluffy needles of the pines, or the sense of a bright, clear, calm summer day. The artist managed to create an image familiar to anyone who has seen a Russian forest.

E. Have a good time on the most lively and exciting island in the Caribbean. Relax under a palm tree on the white sandy beaches. Swim in the clear, blue sea. Listen to the bands playing Calypso music. Or get really adventurous and go scuba diving for sunken treasure on the sea bed. Join in the many cultural celebrations we offer, for example the sugar harvest festival.

F. This event is considered the greatest attraction for visitors to the Isle of Man. No definite date can be given, but it is normally held between 5th and 15th July. The Pageant begins at about 8 p.m. First we are given a glimpse of village life in Celtic times. Then suddenly Viking long ships appear and then there are scenes of war. Then Celts and Vikings unite, and the Manx nation is born. The actual Pageant is followed by a grand torchlight procession and firework display.

G. Do you like Latin American dancing? Do you want to dance like you see in the films and on the stage? Do you want to feel the rhythm of the music in your body and in your soul? Do you want to meet other people who have a love for the same music as you? If you have answered “Yes” to any of these questions, join our Latin dance classes on Thursday night between seven and ten. All are welcome.

1. Good for everyone 8. Clothes to protest

5. An innovative idea 4. Screen fashion

2. Easy to care for 7. Jeans’ label

6. Working clothes 3. Part of culture

A. Jeans are one of fashion's most long enduring trends. Cowboys wear them but so do supermodels, farmers, presidents and housewives. Ask any group of people why they wear jeans and you will get a range of answers. For some they're comfortable and easy — for others they're trendy and cool. Jeans mean different things to different people but they are popular everywhere.

B. Americans do not have a national folk dress with a long tradition. Blue jeans are probably the most recognisable article of American clothing. They have been part of American life for over 125 years. Blue denim jeans became not only an expression of American fashion but also an element of American identity known around the world.

C. Jeans were first designed as trousers for farmers and miners in the states of the American West. They quickly grew popular with common people, including cowboys, factory employees and railroad builders. The new trousers were made from a very strong material which did not wear out easily. However, at the same time jeans were very practical and comfortable to wear.

D. Pockets were the weak point of the miners' clothes — they easily tore away from the jeans. A man called Jacob Davis had the idea of using metal rivets (fasteners) to hold the pockets and the jeans together so that they wouldn't tear. Davis wanted to patent his idea, but he didn't have enough money, so he offered Levi Strauss a deal if Strauss paid for the patent. Strauss accepted and started making jeans.

E. By the middle of the twentieth century, these heavy cotton trousers were a symbol of opposition for young artists and writers. College students started to wear them to show they were against the Vietnam War. The new trousers were banned in American schools from coast to coast and sometimes in theatres and cinemas.

F. Jeans are good because they don't show the dirt. You can easily go a month without washing them and they don't look shocking. They don't need to be washed as often as other trousers and you don't need to iron them. What's more, because of the strong material you can wear your favorite jeans for years. Even the occasional hole or spot doesn’t spoil them at all.

G. In the 30s and 40s many people began to spend their spare time watching movies where adventurous cowboys rode horses, fought bad guys and wore blue jeans. The actors made jeans popular in movies and everyone wanted to wear them. Young people wished to imitate the casual “cowboyish” look they saw in films, and they began to wear jeans as casual wear.

1. The parents' decision 8. A new learning experience

2. The students' room 7. Famous graduates

3. The new school 6. Location of the school

4. Old friends 5. Ambitious plans

A. Her parents left and Joanna looked around her new place. It was a large room with five beds — and she was sitting on one of them. There were also writing desks, chairs, bedside units and hangers for clothes. Joanna's classmates-to-be were in the classroom — their beds were carefully made, their clothes and personal belongings — in perfect order. From the large windows was a view of a high, brick wall that surrounded the boarding school grounds.

B. The poor view was a disappointment — Joanna remembered that the way to the school had been very picturesque. They had driven over green hills and past several country houses before pulling up in front of the old monastery right on the bank of a narrow but fast-flowing river. The approach to the school was lined with tall maple trees. The monastery had been built two or three centuries ago but there were no monks there any more — the old building now housed a prestigious boarding school.

C. During the whole trip Joanna hadn't exchanged a word with her parents. She didn't like the idea of learning at a boarding school but her father said there was no other way. He was quite a prominent statesman. Recently he had been offered a post in another city and couldn't reject it for political reasons. Joanna couldn't go with them as, firstly, there was no appropriate school there and, secondly, he would have to concentrate on the new job. Joanna's mother supported him as she always did.

D. Joanna's mother was obsessed with her education. That's why the famous boarding school that offered all kinds of opportunities seemed an ideal option to her. When Joanna had visited the website, she had been impressed, too. The school had a genetic laboratory and an observatory. The computer equipment was state of the art. The teachers were scientists who published their research in serious scientific journals. It was amazing that all that was hidden behind the walls of a medieval monastery!

E. Joanna started to unpack her suitcase — jeans, socks, a warm jumper. Then she pulled out a photo. It had been taken in her former school before the Christmas show. Her friends, Linda and Emma, were there setting up the microphones on the stage, Neil was busy with his laptop — he was in charge of the Slide Show performance. Joanna sighed — she wasn't going to see any of them before the summer.

F. Joanna left her suitcase and went up to the window. The situation was probably not as bad as it had seemed at first glance. The school could give her career a good start. She'd always dreamt about a career in bio-technology. Joanna believed that human society was about to make some absolutely fantastic discoveries and wanted to participate in the exciting process. A solid education was essential for her, and the school seemed to be the right place to get it.

G. She remembered the photos in the school corridor — people in research laboratories, at scientific conferences and even at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony. At first Joanna thought that it was all about the teachers, but then she realized that those were the former students of the school. There was another surprise — along with scholars, there were photos of a famous film producer and even a Hollywood celebrity. The education the school provided seemed to fit any industry.

1. Traditional delivery 8. Weekend reading

2. Loss of popularity 7. Size makes a difference

3. Money above privacy 6. The successful competitor

4. The best-known newspapers 5. Focus on different readers

A. As in many other European countries, Britain’s main newspapers are losing their readers. Fewer and fewer people are buying broadsheets and tabloids at the newsagent’s. In the last quarter of the twentieth century people became richer and now they can choose other forms of leisure activity. Also, there is the Internet which is a convenient and inexpensive alternative source of news.

B. The ‘Sunday papers’ are so called because that is the only day on which they are published. Sunday papers are usually thicker than the dailies and many of them have six or more sections. Some of them are ‘sisters’ of the daily newspapers. It means they are published by the same company but not on week days.

C. Another proof of the importance of ‘the papers’ is the morning ‘paper round’. Most newsagents organize these. It has become common that more than half of the country’s readers get their morning paper brought to their door by a teenager. The boy or girl usually gets up at around 5:30 a.m. every day including Sunday to earn a bit of pocket money.

D. The quality papers or broadsheets are for the better educated readers. They devote much space to politics and other ‘serious’ news. The popular papers, or tabloids, sell to a much larger readership. They contain less text and a lot more pictures. They use bigger headlines and write in a simpler style of English. They concentrate on ‘human interest stories’ which often means scandal.

E. Not so long ago in Britain if you saw someone reading a newspaper you could tell what kind it was without even checking the name. It was because the quality papers were printed on very large pages called ‘broadsheet’. You had to have expert turning skills to be able to read more than one page. The tabloids were printed on much smaller pages which were much easier to turn.

F. The desire to attract more readers has meant that in the twentieth century sometimes even the broadsheets in Britain look rather ‘popular’. They give a lot of coverage to scandal and details of people’s private lives. The reason is simple. What matters most for all newspaper publishers is making a profit. They would do anything to sell more copies.

G. If you go into any newsagent’s shop in Britain you will not find only newspapers. You will also see rows and rows of magazines for almost every imaginable taste. There are specialist magazines for many popular pastimes. There are around 3,000 of them published in the country and they are widely read, especially by women. Magazines usually list all the TV and radio programmes for the coming week and many British readers prefer them to newspapers

1. The symbols of London 5. On the road

2. Means of travelling 6. A healthy but difficult choice

3. World record holder 7. An unusual hobby

4. A sweet in the street 8. Conflict over roads

A. The British are enthusiastic about mobility. They think that the ability to travel far and frequently is their right. People can spend up to two or three hours commuting to London or another big city and arrive back at their homes in the countryside only late in the evening. They put up with the long journey because they want their families to avoid the unhealthy lifestyle of big cities.

B. Most journeys to work are made by private road transport. It leads to the pollution so familiar to many big cities, and to traffic jams. Congestion is especially high in Britain because the British do not welcome the idea of building new roads. They don’t like living close to them. Each proposal to build a new road is criticised so it’s not easy to improve the road situation.

C. Perhaps because the trains were the first means of transport in Britain many people still have a romantic outlook on them. Thousands of train-lovers spend a lot of time looking for information about trains, especially old steam engines. Many enthusiasts spend their free time restoring and repairing old trains. They even earn some money by offering rides to tourists.

D. It is possible to travel between any two towns or cities by either road or rail. In some parts of the country there is a very good rail network but most commercially successful trains run between London and the largest cities in the country. By modern European standards British trains are not fast. Coach services are generally even slower than trains but are much cheaper. It explains why they are still in use.

E. Britain is one of the few countries in Europe where double-decker buses are a common sight. Although single-deckers have been in use since 1960s, London still has many double-deckers in operation. They are world-famous, an image associated with the city. Another London icon is the black taxi. Normally, these traditional taxis cannot be hired by phone. You simply have to find one on the street.

F. In 1953, most schoolchildren walked to school. For this reason, school crossing patrols were introduced. This ‘patrol’ consists of an adult wearing a bright waterproof coat and carrying a stick with a circle on top of it, which reads ‘STOP’. Armed with this ‘lollipop’, the adult walks out into the middle of the road, stops the traffic and allows the children to cross.

G. On 9 January 2013, the London Underground (or the Tube) celebrated 150 years since the first underground journey. It is both the world's oldest underground railway and the oldest rapid transit system. It was also the first underground railway to operate electric trains. The Underground has 268 stations and 400 km of track, making it the longest metro system in the world by route length.

1. Worrying time statistics 5. Different opinions

2. Hidden dangers 6. The best social networking site

3. New communication opportunities 7. Time eaters

4. Communication problems in real life 8. Prospects in education

A. The popularity of social networking sites such as Vkon takte, Facebook, MySpace, and Classmates has risen more than four times from 2005 to 2009. Many users say these sites are good for our society, but others are sure that there are more dangers in them than benefits. Your attitude to such websites depends on your age, job, interests and way of life.

B. Social networks promote communication with friends and family, they give people necessary and useful computer skills and teach them to express their ideas in a clear way. Another thing is that the sites let people create new relationships and reconnect with old friends. In every way, more communication, even online, makes connections stronger.

C. Social networking sites make people spend more time online and less time communicating face-to-face. The sites have many time-wasting activities. You stay online longer than you planned and do nothing serious or important. Experts say that teenagers spend about nine hours every week on social networking sites.

D. A big risk about social networks is that teenagers are careless. They don't worry that their personal information and photos could be open to lots of people. Also the sites don't guarantee that their registered members are who they say they are. If a person says he is James Burns, a college student, we have to believe him. We cannot check his real name or occupation.

E. Psychologists say that social networking sites can have serious disadvantages. It is hard for children to have real conversations and make friends. They become selfish personalities and lose interest in real life. Parents spend less time with their children and all members of the family spend less time with each other because they are using the Internet instead of communicating in person.

F. Internet users spend most of their time on social networks and blogs. Users in the USA spend about five and a half hours every month on their favourite site. And the number is growing. Russians spend 6.6 hours monthly on social networking sites. It is more than people in any other country. For example, in Europe it is 3.7 hours a month.

G. New research shows that social networking sites can be used in schools. Teachers should find ways to use them in class. It would help students to learn how to get information from Internet resources and share it with classmates. Students would also be able to express themselves creatively and present themselves better.

1. A new music instrument 5. A strange competition

2. The latest fashion 6. A law against mobiles

3. A mobile for grandma 7. Back to real-life communications

4. Phone addiction 8. Digital personal assistants

A. Young people often worry about the style and functions of mobile phones. However, today companies present more models for people who are over 50 or 60 years old. They need a mobile phone with large buttons, so that they can dial numbers without glasses. The menu is also simple. It really doesn't matter if the phone has a camera or the Internet. For them, less is more.

B. Today, when friends meet in a cafe, they put their mobile phones in the middle of the table. They aren't allowed to touch them at all. If someone does it and answers the phone, they have to pay for everybody. Sounds fun, right? The idea is to make people concentrate on a real conversation with each other instead of using their mobiles all the time.

C. Visitors of theatres and cinemas often complain that mobile phones ring during performances. The city government of New York passed a new act. It is now forbidden to use mobile phones in places, like theaters, libraries, museums, galleries, and cinemas. Those who don't switch off their mobiles will have to pay $50.

D. With mobile phones we can contact anyone, anywhere, any time. Scientists say that some people are so used to mobiles that they can't go to the kitchen without them. They are in panic if they leave them at home or lose. It has become a habit to have a mobile everywhere. People depend on mobile phones so much that doctors have started worrying. They say it may be a thing similar to drugs.

E. Throwing mobile phones is an international sport that started in Finland in 2000. Traditionally participants throw mobile phones over their shoulders. The person, who throws farthest, wins. There's also freestyle throwing. In this contest sportsmen should throw a mobile in a beautiful and creative way.

F. In 2010, a young girl from China made a song using only her mobile phone. She wrote it without any guitars, pianos, drums. She used different functions of her mobile. It took her several days to record the song. Later she made a video of it and put the video on the Internet, where over a million people watched it. She sent the song to the Apple company and suggested using it in their advertisements.

G. Today's mobile phones can already send e-mails, surf the Internet, and keep you in touch with friends. Tomorrow's phones are like helpful secretaries. In a few years you'll see that they know your habits and can advise you what to cook for dinner. They will remind you where to go and what present to buy.

1. Is there any risk-free alternative to tattoo? 5. Is getting a tattoo dangerous?

2. What equipment is used? 6. What are the most popular tattoo designs?

3. What are the motives for getting a tattoo? 7. How old is the tattooing tradition?

4. What is tattoo ink made from? 8. Can tattoos be removed?

A. Tattoos are surprisingly popular in different parts of the globe. The oldest tattooed person, the so-called Iceman, is a frozen mummy found in the Alps in 1991. The frozen man, aged more than 5000 years, has 57 tattoos! The scientists think that they were created with some sharp instruments like thorns, and ash from fireplace was used instead of ink. There's also a theory that Iceman's tattoos were made for medical reasons rather than for any other, reason.

B. Medical tattoos mark the places where acupuncture needles need to be used, however, that reason for getting a tattoo is rare. Tattooing for religious and spiritual reasons happens much more often. Soldiers and sailors get tattoos in memory of their battles and journeys. Some people tattoo the names of those they love, and some get tattoos for no reason at all, just because they think it's cool.

C. There are lots of tattooing techniques. Some tribes in Africa make cuts on the body and rub ash into them. Tattooists may also work with sharpened sticks or animal bones — the procedure is painful and not at all hygienic. In modern studios electric machines are usually used. They have one or more needles that quickly go in and out of the skin. The machine has ink containers and the ink gets into the skin via the needles. For safety reasons the needles should only be used once.

D. In the past, tattoo ink was made from tree bark, ash and coal dust. Later, pen ink was often used. Today, the inks produced by factories are usually made of metal salts and metal oxides. Heavy metals are used for colouring too: cadmium gives red and orange shades, aluminum — green and violet, cobalt — blue, titanium — white. There's no need to say that heavy metals may cause allergies and some far more serious diseases, cancer included.

E. Parents may get outraged by their children's desire for tattoos and they've got good reasons to get panicky — apart from ink related risks, getting tattoos is associated with the risk of infection. Anything from skin infections to tuberculosis and even AIDS can be transmitted via the instruments. If the tattooist ignores strict hygienic requirements, like using fresh ink for each session, changing gloves after each stage of tattooing or disinfecting the furniture, the client may catch a very serious disease.

F. Another reason against permanent tattoos is... their permanent character. You may like it now but people tend to change their preferences. A safe alternative is a temporary tattoo which lasts for only a few weeks. Their main advantage is that the skin is not damaged — the tattoo artist just applies henna on it. This type of tattoos is popular with fashion models who care for their bodies and don't want them to get damaged.

G. The actress Amy Taylor says that she got her tattoo when she was sixteen. She thought it was cool, but several years later the tattoo became a nuisance. Amy wanted to get it removed. She believed that modern technologies like laser treatment could do it easily but the doctors warned her that the tattoo wouldn't be fully removed anyway. The treatment is usually long, expensive and rather painful — getting the tattoo is much easier

1. A holiday tradition 5. A city of contrasts

2. All kinds of entertainment 6. The name meaning

3. It's a must for any tourist 7. The green spots

4. Going back in history 8. Not for everyone

A. The population of London grew in the 17th century. Many houses were built during that period. It was needed after the Great Fire of 1666. In the 19th century the city suffered from pollution and epidemics. The German bombings during World War II destroyed the historical center of London. After the war the city was reconstructed and now it is one of the most beautiful European capitals.

B. Each year in December, the people of Norway send a present to Londoners. It is a very big Christmas Tree, which is put in Trafalgar Square. In this way they thank Britain for help during World War II. This tree becomes one of the unforgettable sights of London, especially when it is lit by hundreds of fairy lights. Londoners often group around the tree and sing Christmas songs.

C. Trafalgar Square is situated in central London. It is one of the greatest and most famous tourist attractions. Your visit to the capital usually begins with this place. It's absolutely necessary for every tourist to see Nelson's Column. Everyone should admire the lovely fountains of the square. Also, you can't say that you've been to London if you don't take a picture of yourself in the square.

D. London was founded by the Romans in the 1st century AD and called Londinium. There is a common theory that the word "Londinium" comes from the name of a Celtic village. Also, the adjective "lond" meant "wild" in the Celtic language. Perhaps, it characterized the river Thames, on which the city was started. So, most scientists think that London is a "village on the wild river".

E. In spite of being an important industrial and business centre London is known for its parks and open spaces. In every part of the city, you can find at least one park. It can be just a small pool with surrounding trees or a big and magnificent park like Hyde Park or Regent's Park. They are all loved and visited by Londoners all the year round.

F. The liveliest part of London is West End. There are a lot of pubs, clubs, shops, theatres and cafes there. All kinds of pastimes are offered to tourists. Most of them choose shopping in Oxford Street with its stores, boutiques and gift shops. It's a pleasant experience because the choices are great.

G. Big Ben is one of London's best-known sights. The name "Big Ben" actually refers not to the clock-tower itself, but to the thirteen ton bell hanging within. The tower is not open to the general public. A tourist from abroad can't visit it. The citizens of the UK are luckier. They can write a letter to a member of Parliament and ask to allow them to tour the clock tower. Usually, the permission is given.

1. How flashmobs are prepared 5. Why flashmob events are arranged

2. What the performers did 6. What people attitude is

3. Who can join the movement 7. What a flashmob is

4. Where the action took place and who took part in it 8. What the word means

A. It was a nice spring day. The city centre looked busy: cars sped by and people hurried across the square in front of an impressive bank building. There were business people, couriers, tourists and lots of clerks. There were probably too many clerks. And they kept coming from the adjoining streets and side streets. They were young and seemed strikingly similar — all of them were wearing black trousers and white shirts with a little daisy pinned to their black ties.

B. All of a sudden the people in office uniform stood still, facing the bank. They paid no attention to other passersby bumping into them. Something weird was going on but nobody could say what exactly was wrong. And.. the clerks started to dance. They danced to the music nobody could hear — that looked odd but captivating. The strange performance lasted for only a minute, after which all the black-and-white clerks rearranged their ties and instantly dispersed. The square was spotted with daisies.

C. The new phenomenon when lots of people get together in a public place and perform some action is called a flashmob. The participants may dance or perform mock fighting or put up similar umbrellas on a bright cloudless day and pretend they are hiding from the rain or something else. The performance is very brief — it lasts only one or two minutes. Then the flash mobbers disperse, as if nothing has been happening, leaving the passersby surprised and puzzled.

D. To surprise and puzzle is probable the main aim of the flash mobbers. It's difficult to find another motivation for their actions which often seem pointless and strange. Unlike demonstrators or protestors, flash mobbers do not demand anything. They don't get violent and they don't normally have any problems with the police, though the latter don't approve of flash mobbers as, in their opinion, crowds are potentially dangerous whatever their intentions are.

E. Like the phenomenon itself the word flashmob is very young but it has already been included in all contemporary dictionaries. It is formed with two words: flash, which means a bright light that shines for a short time and then stops shining, and mob — a crowd of people. The two words joined together connote the brisk and striking character of the action performed by those who at first looked like a simple crowd of people.

F. It's difficult, however, to call them a simple crowd — flash mobbers are well-organized. The information about the coming flashmob spreads via the internet and mobiles — modern technology like blogs and social nets makes instant information exchange very easy. The place and the time of the coming flash mob event are usually kept secret till the very last moment. The participants are informed by text messages where they should head to and it's amazing how quickly they get together.

G. Most people who have witnessed a flashmob say that they felt surprised and puzzled, but when the brief event was over, they started feeling more cheerful and relaxed than before the action. One of probable reasons is that people always welcome some unexpected event that makes their life less monotonous and ordinary. It's important that flash mobbers sustain their positive image and never allow any violent behaviour to spoil it

1. The scientific explanation 5. Places without rainbows

2. The real shape 6. A personal vision

3. A lucky sign 7. A bridge between worlds

4. Some tips 8. Impossible to catch

A. Two people never see the same rainbow. Each person sees a different one. It happens because the raindrops are constantly moving so the rainbow is always changing too. Each time you see a rainbow it is unique and it will never be the same! In addition, everyone sees colours differently according to the light and how their eyes interpret it.

B. A rainbow is an optical phenomenon that is seen in the atmosphere. It appears in the sky when the sun’s light is reflected by the raindrops. A rainbow always appears during or immediately after showers when the sun is shining and the air contains raindrops. As a result, a spectrum of colours is seen in the sky. It takes the shape of a multicoloured arc.

C. Many cultures see the rainbow as a road, a connection between earth and heaven (the place where God lives). Legends say that it goes below the earth at the horizon and then comes back up again. In this way it makes a permanent link between what is above and below, between life and death. In some myths the rainbow is compared to a staircase connecting earth to heaven.

D. We all believe that the rainbow is arch-shaped. The funny thing is that it's actually a circle. The reason we don’t see the other half of the rainbow is because we cannot see below the horizon. However, the higher we are above the ground, the more of the rainbow’s circle we can see. That is why, from an airplane in flight, a rainbow will appear as a complete circle with the shadow of the airplane in the centre.

E. In many cultures there is a belief that seeing a rainbow is good. Legends say that if you dig at the end of a rainbow, you'll find a pot of gold. Rainbows are also seen after a storm, showing that the weather is getting better, and there is hope after the storm. This is why they are associated with rescue and good fortune. If people happen to get married on such a day, it is said that they will enjoy a very happy life together.

F. You can never reach the end of a rainbow. A rainbow is all light and water. It is always in front of you while your back is to the sun. As you move, the rainbow that your eye sees moves as well and it will always ‘move away’ at the same speed that you are moving. No matter how hard you try, a rainbow will always be as far away from you as it was before you started to move towards it.

G. To see a rainbow you have to remember some points. First, you should be standing with the sun behind you. Secondly, the rain should be in front of you. The most impressive rainbows appear when half of the sky is still dark with clouds and the other half is clear. The best time to see a rainbow is on a warm day in the early morning after sunrise or late afternoon before sunset. Rainbows are often seen near waterfalls and fountains.

1. Architectural heritage 5. Similar yet different

2. The mystery of the name 6. Literary landmarks

3. The district of crafts 7. A fashionable place to live in

4. The souvenir street 8. An open-air studio

A. Arbat Street is one of the most famous pedestrian streets in the historic centre of Moscow. In the 17th century the area was popular with carpenters, silversmiths, bakers and skilled people of other trades. They lived there and ran their businesses — there were lots of workshops and small stores on the ground floors of the houses. Nowadays, the Arbat's side streets show evidence of their past with names that describe various trades or products.

B. In the 18th century the Arbat became popular with Moscow's upper class, who enjoyed walking there and visiting the local cafés. There were hardly any workshops there then. The Arbat became a popular residential area that attracted Moscow nobility. The whole street was built up with private residences of wealthy Russian families – the Dolgorukiys, the Golitsins, the Tolstoys, the Sheremetyevs and others. It became the most stylish and desirable place to live.

C. Famous poets, thinkers, musicians and actors contributed to the Arbat’s charm. Alexander Pushkin and his wife lived there, in house number 53. Later the mansion was turned into a museum. One of the houses on the adjoining lane belonged to Leo Tolstoy. Over a century later, Bulat Okudzhava, the famous poet and bard, lived in house number 43. Today his statue stands on the corner of the side street.

D. The name Arbat does not sound like a Russian word and actually the original meaning of the place name is unknown. There are several hypotheses. Some linguists state that the name comes from the Arabic word meaning 'suburb' or 'outskirts'. Another hypothesis links the word Arbat with the Tatar word arba, i.e. "cart". However, both theories are disputed.

E. Until the middle of the 20th century, the Arbat remained a part оf the main road frоm the Moscow Kremlin westwards. Іn the 1960s, а parallel road, the New Arbat was built, аnd the traffic was rerouted. The New Arbat, wіth іts wide sidewalks, has nо side streets, which was more convenient for drivers and safer for pedestrians. Twо decades later, the New Arbat took all the traffic and the Arbat wаs made іntо the fіrst pedestrian zone іn Moscow. Іn order tо avoid confusion wіth the New Arbat, people began tо refer tо the Arbat аs the Old Arbat.

F. To tourists, the area of the Arbat is a nice combination of cosy little side streets with the buildings representing different epochs. There, one can find an unusual looking house in the shape of two interlocking cylinders with more than 60 six-sided windows. It was built as an experimental house by the Soviet architect Konstantin Melnikov, a famous representative of Constructivism.

G. At both ends of the street, you'll often see artists sketching portraits. There's no need to go into a workshop – just choose an artist and take a seat. The artists have all they need at hand. Anyone can have a charcoal portrait of themselves or a caricature drawn. There's no fixed price for the work — you can bargain.

1. Exploring wildlife 5. The symbols of Florida

2. Active pastimes 6. Entertainment for children

3. The land of sun and beauty 7. Life on a beach

4. Mind the strong wind 8. A family holiday resort

A. Florida has always been very popular with tourists from different parts of the world. It presents a lucky combination of pleasant climate and man-made attractions. Thousands of parents and their children go there in search of fun, sun and entertainment. They enjoy theme parks like the Walt Disney World Resort and the Sea World Resort, numerous movie studios, water parks, pools and other facilities.

B. One of the most popular places is the Walt Disney Resort, the biggest amusement park in the world. It includes different attractions for younger tourists. Children can enjoy magic exhibits or explore science at special centers situated within the area of the resort. They can also watch wild animals at the Animal Kingdom or enjoy one of the world movies at Disney Studios.

C. However, there is more to see in Florida than just Mickey Mouse. Florida is probably the sunniest state of the USA. Its nickname is the ‘Sunshine State’. Though Florida is one of the flattest states in America, its landscape is really amazing. Lakes with fresh water, hills, forests, eight miles of coastline and countless small islands create a fantastic atmosphere in the resort.

D. Florida provides an opportunity for adventure on both land and water. There are many types of unique wildlife, including dolphins and whales, deer and black bears. Tourists can enjoy African wildlife in a huge park in Tampa Bay. Giraffes, lions and zebras walk through the park’s grounds. Tourists can watch the animals in the wild and take photos. It goes without saying all kinds of hunting are strictly prohibited.

E. Besides all of this, Florida is also an extremely popular seaside resort. One of its beaches was called the safest bathing beach in the world. The range of facilities for holidaymakers is also impressive — from banana riding to renting boats for fishing and dolphin watching. Numerous cafes offer tourists excellent service, tasty seafood and a vast variety of drinks to cool down on a hot day.

F. The warm summers and mild winters make Florida an ideal place for different sports like boating, diving, surfing and water skiing. Not only are water sports popular — lots of people go there to play golf and they even plan their vacations around golfing! There are more golf courses in Florida than in any other state of the USA. There are state and private courses within a short driving distance of each other.

G. Hurricanes are a fact of Florida life. They can affect some vacations that is why it’s wise to avoid Florida in certain months. The Florida Hurricane Season officially starts on June 1 and ends on November 30. Historically, September is the most active month of the year. The National Hurricane Centre monitors the territory of Florida in order to warn the people of the danger well beforehand.

1. Just in time 5. Reduced expectations

2. Just in case 6. Royal brother

3. Eventful life 7. Royal ancestor

4. A curious case 8. Double trouble

A. I am a mother of identical, mirror-image boys — David and John. No one but me can tell them apart. I am constantly amazed at how close they are. Once when they were babies David was ill, but it was John who began crying wildly. I tried to calm John first since nothing was wrong with him. But he only cried louder. Finally I gave some medicine to David — who really was unwell. As soon as John sensed his brother felt better, he immediately settled to sleep.

B. The 12 year old was playing near the Platte River in North Bend, Nebraska. The river was high and as the boy stepped in, the current pushed his legs away. He floated off, spinning in the powerful current. At the last possible moment before the rapids, his yells were heard by his dog. It jumped in, reached the boy and towed him ashore. Another second and the boy would have been swept away to certain death.

C. Armgaard Karl Graves, referred to in press reports as ‘the Glasgow Spy’, was convicted in Scotland under the Official Secrets Act (1911) for spying on the British Navy. He spent years successfully creating an identity as an Australian doctor and in Scotland even conducted important clinical experiments. But he was eventually caught by a suspicious post office worker as he sent and received post under a variety of assumed names.

D. Zsa Zsa Gabor was born in Budapest on February 6th, 1917. Now in her 90s she has had a long and varied life. She was a beauty queen and singer before becoming a famous screen actress. She was married 8 times but only had one child with second husband, Conrad Hilton. Her last marriage to Frederic von Anhalt gave her the honorary title Prinzessin von Anhalt.

E. “Who do you think you are” is one of my favourite TV programs. Each episode researches the family history of a celebrity, back into the mists of time. In the UK there are good records of births, marriages and deaths going back hundreds of-years. One of the best episodes was on Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. He was thrilled when he discovered he was directly related to King George II.

F. Paris Hilton is a famous socialite, media personality, actress, model and singer. In 2007 her grandfather Barron Hilton pledged 97% of his estate — a value of more than 2 billion US dollars — to a charitable foundation. Many now believe that Paris and the other grandchildren have had their potential inheritance sharply reduced. Others have commented that this news was unlikely to change her future life style.

G. Andy always travels well equipped for any potential possibility. He has a sewing repair kit and a small medical kit with aspirin. These are, I suppose, perfectly sensible. But what about a ball of string, tape measure, masking tape, Swiss army penknife, disposable cutlery, disinfectant, dry bags and an inflatable back rest? Andy says you never know what might happen and it’s always best to be prepared.

1. A taste of everything 5. Activities for the adventurous and hardy

2. Shop till you drop 6. On the crossroads of religions

3. City’s tourist attractions 7. For the body, mind and soul

4. Ancient traditions live on 8. From the high peaks to the deep seas

A. Today Jakarta has much to offer, ranging from museums, art and antique markets, first class shopping to accommodations and a wide variety of cultural activities. Jakarta’s most famous landmark, the National Monument or Monas is a 137m obelisk topped with a flame sculpture coated with 35 kg of gold. Among other places one can mention the National museum that holds an extensive collection of ethnographic artifacts and relics, the Maritime Museum that exhibits Indonesia’s seafaring traditions, including models of sea going vessels.

B. Sumatra is a paradise for nature lovers, its national parks are the largest in the world, home to a variety of monkeys, tigers and elephants. Facing the open sea, the western coastline of Sumatra and the waters surrounding Nias Island have big waves that make them one of the best surfer’s beaches in Indonesia. There are beautiful coral reefs that are ideal for diving. For those who prefer night dives, the waters of Riau Archipelago offer a rewarding experience with marine scavengers of the dark waters.

C. Various establishments offer professional pampering service with floral baths, body scrubs, aromatic oils, massages and meditation; rituals and treatments that use spices and aromatic herbs to promote physical and mental wellness. Various spa hotels are extremely popular. Indonesians believe that when treating the body you cure the mind.

D. Jakarta has a distinctly cosmopolitan flavor. Tantalize your taste buds with a gastronomic spree around the city’s many eateries. Like French gourmet dining, exotic Asian cuisine, American fast food, stylish cafes, restaurants all compete to find a way into your heart through your stomach. The taste of Indonesia’s many cultures can be found in almost any corner of the city: hot and spicy food from West Sumatra, sweet tastes of Dental Java, the tangy fish dishes of North Sulawesi.

E. In the face of constant exposure to modernization and foreign influences, the native people still faithfully cling to their culture and rituals. The pre-Hindu Bali Aga tribe still maintains their own traditions of architecture, pagan religion, dance and music, such as unique rituals of dances and gladiator-like battles between youths. On the island of Siberut native tribes have retained their Neolithic hunter-gathering culture.

F. Whether you are a serious spender or half hearted shopper, there is sure to be something for everybody in Jakarta. Catering to diverse tastes and pockets, the wide variety of things you can buy in Jakarta is mind boggling from the best of local handicrafts to haute couture labels. Modern super and hyper markets, multi-level shopping centers, retail and specialty shops, sell quality goods at a competitive price. Sidewalk bargains range from tropical blooms of vivid colors and scents in attractive bouquets to luscious fruits of the seasons.

G. The land’s long and rich history can’t be separated from the influence of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. There is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Java, the majestic Buddhist ‘monastery on the hill’, Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world. About 17 km away from this monastery is a 9th century temple complex built by the Sanjaya dynasty. Prambanan complex is dedicated to the Hindu trinity: Ciwa, Vishnu and Brahma. The spread of Islam also left interesting monuments such as the 15th century Minaret Mosque in Kudus.

1. Different pets, different characters 5. Friends in need

2. Having fun together 6. Pets can teach

3. A long-term treatment 7. A global problem and its solution

4. Reading dog stories 8. Where to get a pet

A. It has become clear that stress affects our mental and physical health and, sadly, our world has become more stressful than ever. We live in the environment that can easily wear us out. Luckily, there are certain methods to reduce stress and have control. One of the best is to own a pet. Pets require attention and dedication, but those are small prices to pay for the amount of benefits they bring into our lives.

B. Pets provide support because they are always available to listen (without any judgment) or rub up against your hand, which can help you relax after a hectic day. They can help you see the situation differently and let out some steam.Moreover, when you are feeling under the weather, there is nothing like a sweet pair of eyes that immediately get your mind off thoughts that are making you sad and depressed.

C. Companionship with a loving pet is a real source of entertainment. Pets are constantly giving off love and gratitude, and they are happy to be in your presence. You can be yourself around pets. You can dance silly or talk silly, and they will not criticize you. In fact, they will love the silliness and get silly themselves. Cats and dogs are fantastic companions to sit down and watch TV at night.

D. Studies have shown that communicating with a pet boosts the immune system, improves heart health, reduces physical pain, and improves mental health as well. One man with tuberculosis says that the cat he received after his diagnosis kept him going for 21 years with little pain and very few physical issues. He talked to his cat which helped him walk through his troubles. That proves the power of true love that animals have.

E. Pets are living creatures that have habits and personalities. They can surprise you. Dogs, cats, and birds are probably most known for having distinct personalities. However, one snake owner says that her snake had his own unique personality. He got excited when she came into the room, and she would often put him in the bathtub where he would do all sorts of funny tricks while splashing around.

F. No matter what type of pet you get, it will require you to take care of it. Being responsible for another living being can help you be more responsible in the rest of your life too. This is especially true for kids who are learning the value of good habits. However, adults can benefit from the consistent responsibility as well. Responsible pet owners are kind to pets and remember they are their pets’ world.

G. With millions of cats and dogs killed in shelters in the United States every year, adopting a pet instead of buying one saves at least one animal’s life. Adoption saves not only the animal you adopt, but also the new animal the shelter can take in. Adopting from a shelter helps both ends of the problem: fewer animals will be bred, and more animals can go to a good home.

1. Controlling skies 5. Blocked roads

2. Lack of safety 6. Paid roads

3. Bicycle is faster 7. Improving railways

4. Office at home 8. Buses instead of cars

A. The world’s first public passenger railway was built in Great Britain in 1826 and ran between the industrial north-eastern towns of Stockton and Darlington. After 180 years’ experience the British say that their trains still don’t seem to run efficiently or even safely. On average, about 500 accidents with broken rail tracks happen in the country every year.

B. The British government is promising to give £33.5 billion to modernise the railways before 2010. Another £30 billion is to come from the private sector. The main target is to increase safety and speed. For example, new London-to-Scotland high-speed trains significantly reduce journey times and in 2004 a warning system was installed throughout the country.

C. Statistics show that only 12% of all journeys made in Britain are by public transport. The remaining 88% are made by car. Every year British people spend about two weeks travelling to and from work including nine days in their own cars. But anyone will say this isn’t a quick and easy way to travel. In fact, a journey from London to Manchester frequently takes seven hours. A cyclist could get there quicker.

D. Every year there are about half a million traffic jams in Britain. That is nearly 10,000 a week. There are hundreds of big traffic jams every day. According to the forecast, the number of jams will grow by 20 per cent over the next ten years. Nearly a quarter British people find themselves in a jam every day and 55 per cent at least once a week.

E. Nowadays many British people take their children to school by car. Twenty years ago, nearly one in three primary school children made their own way to school. Now only one child in nine makes their own way. During the school year at 08:50 a. m. one car in five on the roads in any British town is taking children to school. The solution could be special school buses widely used in the USA.

F. Many scientists hope that new technologies allowing more people to work at home may help with traffic problems. Fewer people will work from 9 to 5 and travel to and from work during the rush hour. But only 15% of people now want to spend more time working at home. The workplace is, for many people, a place to meet other people and to talk to them, so they would miss it if they worked from home. 

G. In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first aeroplane flight. It only lasted 12 seconds but changed the world forever. A century later, air travel is no longer a miracle, it is part of everyday life. One billion air passengers now fly every year — that’s equivalent to a sixth of the world’s population. To make sure everything runs smoothly, there are special air traffic control centres in each country which watch every aeroplane.

1. Global language 5. English in other languages

2. How it all began 6. French influence

3. Great borrower 7. Crazy English

4. The language of computer 8. Do you speak cockney?

A. It’s strange that the differences in Britain itself are greater than those between Britain and other English-speaking countries. For a Londoner, it’s easier to understand an American than a Cockney. Cockney has a pronunciation, accent and vocabulary unlike any other dialect. Cockney speech is famous for its rhyming slang. A word is replaced by a phrase or a person’s name which rhymes with it.

B. Other languages absorb English words too, often giving them new forms and meanings. So many Japanese, French, Spanish and Germans mix English words with their mother tongues that the resulting hybrids are called Japlish, Franglais, Spanglish and Denglish, In Japanese, for example, there is a verb Makudonaru, to eat at McDonald’s.

C. Have you ever wondered why the English language has different words for animals and meat? When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, French became the official language of the court. The English would look after the animals and cook the meat, still calling the animals pig, sheep and cow. The Normans, when they saw the cooked meat arrive at their table, would use French words – pork, mutton and beef.

D. English is mixing with other languages around the world. It’s probably the biggest borrower. Words newly coined or in vogue in one language are very often added to English as well. There are words from 120 languages in its vocabulary, including Arabic, French, German, Greek, Italian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. 70 per cent of the English vocabulary are loan words and only 30 per cent of the words are native.

E. Have you ever wondered how many people speak English? It’s around 400 million people. Geographically, English is the most wide-spread language on earth, and it’s second only to Chinese in the number of people who speak it. It’s spoken in the British Isles, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and much of Canada and South Africa. English is also a second language of another 300 million people living in more than 60 countries.

F. In Shakespeare’s time only a few million people spoke English. All of them lived in what is now Great Britain. Through the centuries, as a result of various historical events, English spread throughout the world. There were only 30,000 words in Old English. Modern English has the largest vocabulary in the world – more than 600,000 words.

G. In the English language blackboards can be green or white, and blackberries are green and then red before they are ripe. There is no egg in eggplant, neither mush nor room in mushroom, neither pine nor apple in pineapple, no ham in hamburger. Why is it that a king rules a kingdom but a queen doesn’t rule a queendom? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn’t the plural of booth be beeth? And in what other language can your nose run?

1. Expenses 5. Place to stay in

2. Ways of behavior 6. Eating out

3. Nightlife 7. National languages

4. Favorite food 8. Great outdoors

A. Norway is first of all a land for those who love nature. The breathtaking fjords in the southwest of the country and Europe’s largest glacier are Norway’s most attractive places, but there are many other reasons to visit this country in the north of Europe. There are wonderful opportunities to enjoy skiing, fishing and rock-climbing. Others can take pleasure in the charm of the Norwegian countryside, with its countless valleys, high mountain lakes and unbelievable views.

B. Many tourists coming to Norway in the summer prefer to stay in a cottage used by northern Norwegian fishermen during the winter cod-fishing season. Equipped with all the necessary facilities, these cottages are leased to holidaymakers, providing an attractive form of accommodation. They will often be actually over the water. Catching your own fish and cooking it on the fire will add a few pleasant moments to your holiday.

C. Norway has a long history of fishing, although much of the high quality shellfish and other species caught off the coast are exported. However, fish remains a common dish, along with meat, potatoes and other root vegetables, although tastes have changed in recent years to involve a wider international choice, including pizzas and burgers. The most popular traditional hot snack is a form of sausage, sold at numerous outlets.

D. Traditionally entertainment in the country is largely home-based, but this has been changing in recent years. Most Norwegians tend to go out only on Fridays and Saturdays, the rest of the week being fairly quiet. This is in no small part due to the high prices of food and drink, and the fact that the working day starts early. And at weekends, it is normal for the Norwegians to enjoy drinks at home before leaving it as late as 11.00 p.m.

E. Restaurants tend to be concentrated in city centres, while in recent years the pub culture has been gradually arriving in Norway. Cities are nowadays well supplied with a wide choice of bars, many of which offer food that has a lower price compared to the restaurants. Most villages of any size have at least one cafe or restaurant where it is possible to drink and eat out.

F. Norwegians are generally sincere and polite, though communication doesn’t often come easy — it is usually up to you to break the ice and establish contact. They can be very direct and rarely say ‘please’, which may seem rude, but it’s due to the fact that the Norwegian language rarely uses the word. On the other hand, they say ‘thank you’ for almost everything. They also tend to address people by their first name even on many formal occasions.

G. Norway is an expensive country. As labour is costly here, anything that can be seen as a ‘service’ will generally be more expensive than you expect. Transport costs can also be a killer, because the country is large and distances are long. But there is one good point: Norway has a high quality of tap water. So buying bottled drinking water is usually unnecessary and this will save your budget.

1. То play any tune 5. Not a bank but …

2. A brand new shore museum 6. Magic as attraction

3. Still moving along 7. A museum of popular drinks

4. Back from the seas 8. One tool museum

A. The Salem Witch Museum brings you back to Salem of 1692 for a dramatic overview of the Witch Trials, including stage sets with life-size figures, lighting and a narration. There is also a possibility to go on a candlelight tour to four selected homes. The museum is open all year round and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Salem is also famous for its Haunted Happenings, a 24-day Halloween festival.

B. The Discover Sea Shipwreck Museum opened its doors in 1995, and has one of the largest collections of shipwreck and recovered artifacts in the Mid-Atlantic. It contains about 10,000 artifacts from local and worldwide locations, including an intact blown-glass hourglass from a 200-year-old shipwreck, which is also the world's deepest wooden wreck at the heart of the Bermuda Triangle.

C. The Seashore Trolley Museum is the oldest and largest electric railway museum in the world. It was founded in 1939 with one open trolley car, No. 31 from the Biddeford & Saco Railroad Company. The Seashore Trolley Museum contains over 250 transit vehicles, mostly trolleys, from the United States, Canada and abroad. Visitors can even take a trip along the Maine countryside aboard a restored early-1900s electric streetcar.

D. American Hop Museum is dedicated to the brewing industry and located in the heart of the Yakima Valley's hop fields, which gather the best harvest for producing beer. It chronicles the American hop industry from the New England colonies to its expansion into California and the Pacific Northwest, and includes historical equipment, photos and artifacts that pay tribute to hop, the everlasting vine that is still an integral part of the brewing industry.

E. The Money Museum in Colorado Springs is America's largest museum dedicated to numismatics (the study of collecting coins and metals). The collection contains over 250,000 items from the earliest invention of money to modern day, with items including paper money, coins, tokens, medals, and traditional money from all over the world. Highlights include the 1804 dollar, the 1913 V Nickel, the 1866 no motto series, a comprehensive collection of American gold coins, and experimental pattern coins and paper money.

F. The Kenneth G. Fiske Museum of Musical Instruments in California has one of the most diverse collections of musical instruments in the United States. This museum is home to over 1,400 American, European and ethnic instruments from the 17th-20th centuries. Selections from all parts of the world also include keyboards, brass, woodwind, stringed, percussion, mechanical and electronic instruments. Other highlights are rare pieces from the violin and viola families, reed organs and instruments from the Orient and Tibet.

G. The Hammer Museum in Alaska is the world's first museum dedicated to hammers. The Museum provides a view of the past through the use of man's first tool. You will find over 1500 hammers on display, ranging from ancient times to the present. The museum does not have any paid staff, and it is run by volunteers. This quaint and quirky museum is an interesting and informative stop for the whole family.

1. For parents and friends 5. Mobile future

2. Radiation threat 6. Mobile booking office

3. Threat for kids 7. New language

4. Feeling of safety 8. SMS to premier

A. Mobile phones use ‘radio waves’ to send signals. Since the 1920s, scientists have known that radio waves can cause the heating of the skin and influence the nervous system. But mobile phones don’t produce many radio waves. Still children should be especially careful about mobile phone use because their nervous system may be hurt. Children should only use mobiles for short calls.

B. It is known that the strength of radio wave radiation decreases with distance. It suggests that hands-free sets may be effective in avoiding all the dangers of mobile phones. But another study described an increase in radiation that reached the user of a hands-free set. It says that the cable of the hands-free set acted as an antenna, directing more radio waves into the user’s ear.

C. Train passengers will soon be able to buy tickets on their mobile phone. Chiltern Railways plans to sell tickets through mobile phones. The new technology sends a code to a mobile phone in a text message, which passengers can then scan at the station ticket barrier. It’s hoped the method will make buying tickets easier for passengers and help fight against queues at stations.

D. Many parents now use mobiles to control their children’s behaviour. It gives parents peace of mind and makes young people feel protected. Parents say that young people are safer with mobiles than without them. But, while parents said they liked to call their children on the mobile to actually hear their voice, young people liked to send text messages to parents.

E. A research showed that those young people who have a mobile feel more independent and often use it to plan meetings both relatives and peers. In particular, young people often use mobiles to ask their parents if they can come home later. The study showed that girls more often text parents to let them know they were safe than boys. They also use text messaging for socializing purposes.

F. It is not only parents who want to connect with young people through mobile technologies. Nowadays politicians and different organizations look for ways to use text messaging as a channel for communication with the young. In late 2004, the UK government offered people the opportunity to ‘text Tony’. People were invited to send a text question to the prime minister to be answered as part of a ‘mobile chat’.

G. The popularity of text messages led to the development of a special system of words or ‘chat speak’. For example, acronyms, that are words made from the first letters of other words, are often used both in online chatrooms and text messages sent to your mobile phone. This ‘chat speak’ is very popular with children who are fast at texting. Parents might be interested to know that ‘PAW’ means ‘parents are watching’

1. Plan beforehand 5. A music group for a street

2. Carnival roots 6. Carnival’s music

3. The best viewpoints 7. The time of pleasure

4. Styles of dancing 8. The time to attend the Carnival

A. Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become a world-famous annual celebration. It is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil for almost a week 40 days before Easter, which is usually in February, the hottest month in the Southern Hemisphere. Officially, it starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, during which some Christians give up something that they enjoy.

B. The most colourful events take place in the Carnival World Capital, Rio de Janeiro. It was the original place where, in 1723, Portuguese immigrants went out onto the streets soaking each other with buckets of water and throwing mud and food, often ending up in street brawls and riots. The concept kept changing throughout the 1800s with more organized parades, where the Emperor with a group of aristocrats joined in masks with luxurious costumes and music.

C. Now the parade varies from state to state. It is a mixture of arts. The music played during Rio Carnival is samba — a unique Brazilian music originating from Rio. It's also a dance form that was invented by the poor Afro-Brazilians as a type of ritual music. The word «samba» meant to pray to the spirits of the ancestors and the gods of the African Pantheon. As a noun, it could mean a complaint or a cry.

D. Even today, the most involved groups in Rio Carnival are the poorest, the so-called «favelas», where houses are made of cardboard or other metal remains, and there is often no water, electricity or sewage system. However, the favelas' residents always join in the festivities and actually make the Carnival, which really means a lot to them. Because, for once during the year, they get to go out and have as much fun as they can.

E. Residents of the favelas are often members of local samba schools and are deeply involved with the performance and costumes of their groups. Each neighborhood in Rio has its favorite Carnival street band. There are more than 300 of them in Rio nowadays, and each year this number increases. Each band has its place or street for its parade and the big ones usually close the streets to the traffic.

F. Rio de Janeiro is usually divided into three zones. The so-called Zona Sul is by far the most pleasant place to stay in Rio, as it is by the sea and is the most civilized part of the city. Districts Copacabana and Ipanema together form a big stage offering a carnival happening at every corner. Leblon, being a bit more upscale, is also an excellent location.

G. Except the industries, malls and the carnival-related workers, the country stops completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night. If you plan to go to watch the Carnival, you should organize your trip well in advance. The best hotels, especially in the Zona Sul, are booked up early, so it's a good idea to make a reservation at least 3 or 4 months in advance.

1. The wrong goal 5. Too stressful

2. Extra-curricular over load 6. Too many distraction

3. Too much homework 7. A better system

4. Arguably helpful 8. Poor coordination

A. My problem with homework is that I am rather fond of TV and computer games. Every evening after school it is the same. I start with the highest intentions. I’ll just play one round of Final fantasy and then begin. But it tends to be three rounds and then tea time. Oh — and then my favourite program begins in 10 minutes so I’ll start after that. And so it goes on. Probably I lack motivation.

B. It is so much faster doing homework these days. All our assignments can be done on the PC which means correcting and changing things is so easy. But of course the Internet is the biggest shortcut of all. Maybe it’s true what they say that it stops you reading textbooks. You get snatches of information rather than the whole story. Maybe I should try to use the internet less.

C. I am a drummer and a pianist. The school really encourages this and I have two one hour lessons a week plus one to two hours daily practice. I am in the basketball team. The school encourages this and we practice twice a week. I got picked to be in the school play. Rehearsals are two hours a week. Will somebody please tell me when I am supposed to get my homework done?

D. Exam practice, constant revision, exam techniques and how to get the highest possible grade— is this what education is supposed to be about? The school seems obsessed with grades and the school results league table. We are currently 17th highest achievers in England but if we really try hard this year we might make top 10. Silly me! I thought education was about learning and preparing for adult life.

E. For some kids exams bring more pressure than they can cope with. They worry about what their parents will say, not to mention what their teachers or class mates will think. No wonder some of them freeze up in the exam hall and are unable to write anything out of sheer nerves.

F. Why do they do it? We get three weeks in a row with minimal homework and then every teacher in the school sets a massive assignment to be completed “by next Friday — no late submissions”. Why don’t they get together and try and even the load?

G. I think Continuous Assessment is a very sensible idea. Education should not simply be about slick exam performance, but about overall how you perform in school — how you study, how much you read, how logical and clear your essay arguments are. 50% of our final grading should be based on course work. I think it is fair.

1. CHRISTMAS SHOPPING 5. Christmas in Russia

2. CRIME AT CHRISTMAS 6. Christmas dinner

3. CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS 7. Christmas weather

4. CHRISTMAS – A FAMILY CELEBRATION 8. New Year’s celebrations

A. There are a lot of traditions connected with Christmas but perhaps the most important one is the giving of presents. Family members wrap up their gifts and leave them at the bottom of the Christmas tree to be found on Christmas morning. Children leave a long sock or stocking at the end of their beds on Christmas Eve, 24th December, hoping that Father Christmas will come down the chimney during the night and bring them small presents, fruit and nuts.

B. At some time on Christmas day the family will sit down to a big turkey dinner followed by Christmas pudding or Christmas cake. As for Christmas cake, heavy and overfilling it is not to everybody’s taste. To make things worse, it takes weeks to make and when it is ready it can last until Easter, so if you don’t like it, you have to try and eat some at Christmas to avoid being haunted by it months after.

C. Officially Christmas and New Year celebrations run from the 24th of December to the 2nd of January. However, for many Brits the Christmas marathon starts as early as the beginning of October with the first festive adverts on TV. The idea of Christmas shopping is that you spend as much money as you can on anything you cast your eyes on, preferably something neither you nor your family or friends will ever use. An average British family spends 670 pounds or more around the Christmas period.

D. Long live Christmas! -say pickpockets, car thieves and burglars getting their share of Christmas shopping. Every year thousands of people get their wallets stolen in overcrowded shops and streets. Lots of lovely presents, which somebody spent so much time and money on, disappear without a trace when cars and homes are broken into. As much as 9% of people experience a burglary in December.

E. Who doesn’t want to have a white Christmas? Playing snowballs and making a snowman with the whole family on Christmas Day is most people’s dream (apart from the countries like Australia that celebrate Christmas in summer, on the beach). This dream is more likely to come true in northern countries like Russia, but for the British people it’s different. Although it’s not uncommon to get some snow in Scotland and northern England, the rest of Britain is normally only lucky enough to get some frost. In most cases the weather is wet and gloomy.

F. New Year is a time for celebrating and making a new start in life. In Britain many people make New Year’s resolutions. This involves people promising themselves that they will improve their behaviour in some way, by giving up bad habits. People might decide to give up smoking, for example, or to go on a diet. These promises are often broken in the first few days of the New Year, however!

G. Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. For most families, this is the most important festival of the year. On this day many people are travelling home to be with their families. Most houses are decorated with brightly-coloured paper or holly, and there is usually a Christmas tree in the corner of the front room. Unfortunately, not all families get on well together. As it is a well-known fact, some magazines publish tips on how to cope with Christmas, such as yoga, meditation or holidays abroad.

1. Controversies and developments 5. Unusual commercials

2. Difficult to find the difference 6. Time is money

3. Good for various spheres of life 7. Fairer chances for business

4. Keeping viewers glued to a TV set 8. The appearance of TV adverting

A. For about seventy years TV has been used as a vehicle for advertising in some countries. Since the late 1940s, television commercials have become far and away the most effective and most popular method of selling products of all sorts. The radio advertising industry was well-established when television made its debut in the 1940s, and television was developed as a commercial medium, based upon the successful format of the radio.

B. In the earliest days of television, it was often difficult to understand whether you watch actual television programmes or commercials. Many of the earliest television shows were sponsored by single companies, who inserted their names and products into the shows as much as possible. For example, Texaco employees appeared during the show to perform while the Texaco musical logo would play in the background.

C. Another important milestone came in the 1960s with the introduction of very short commercial breaks during a TV show. Now it was possible for several companies to use a popular programme as an advertising platform together. It was one of the most efficient ways of marketing, and companies like Tide and Crest took it as an opportunity to expand their ad campaigns.

D. In the 1970s, the broadcast of television advertisements which promoted cigarettes was banned by the administration. This resulted in a conflict between the government and television networks, as for them these ads constituted a significant portion of the total revenue. The period between the 1970s and the 1990s was marked by the increase of the time of commercial breaks from 9 to 19 minutes or the debut of celebrities advertising brand products.

E. Today the vast majority of television commercials consist of brief advertising spots, ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes. Commercials of this sort have been used to sell literally every product imaginable over the years, from household products to goods and services, to political campaigns. It is considered impossible for a politician to wage a successful election campaign without airing a good television commercial.

F. The brief commercial "breaks" that interrupt shows regularly are the primary reason for the existence of modern-day television networks. The programming is intended to capture the attention of the audience so that they will not want to change the channel; instead, they will (hopefully) watch the commercials while waiting for the next segment of the show. Entire industries exist that focus solely on the task of keeping the viewing audience interested enough to sit through commercials.

G. The TV commercial is generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format, and this is reflected by the high prices TV networks charge for commercial airtime during popular TV events. The ratings systems determine how successful television shows are, so that they can decide what rates to charge advertisers for their commercial airtime. For example, a single thirty-second TV spot in prime time may cost up to $2 million.

1.The wrong goal 5. Too stressful

2.Extra-curricular over load 6. Too many distractions

3.Too much homework 7. A better system

4.Arguably helpful 8. Poor coordination

A.My problem with homework is that I am rather fond of TV and computer games. Every evening after school it is the same. I start with the highest intentions. I’ll just play one round of Final fantasy and then begin. But it tends to be three rounds and then tea time. Oh — and then my favourite program begins in 10 minutes so I’ll start after that. And so it goes on. Probably I lack motivation.

B.It is so much faster doing homework these days. All our assignments can be done on the PC which means correcting and changing things is so easy. But of course the Internet is the biggest shortcut of all. Maybe it’s true what they say that it stops you reading textbooks. You get snatches of information rather than the whole story. Maybe I should try to use the internet less.

C.I am a drummer and a pianist. The school really encourages this and I have two one hour lessons a week plus one to two hours daily practice. I am in the basketball team. The school encourages this and we practice twice a week. I got picked to be in the school play. Rehearsals are two hours a week. Will somebody please tell me when I am supposed to get my homework done?

D.Exam practice, constant revision, exam techniques and how to get the highest possible grade— is this what education is supposed to be about? The school seems obsessed with grades and the school results league table. We are currently 17th highest achievers in England but if we really try hard this year we might make top 10. Silly me! I thought education was about learning and preparing for adult life.

E.For some kids exams bring more pressure than they can cope with. They worry about what their parents will say, not to mention what their teachers or class mates will think. No wonder some of them freeze up in the exam hall and are unable to write anything out of sheer nerves.

F.Why do they do it? We get three weeks in a row with minimal homework and then every teacher in the school sets a massive assignment to be completed “by next Friday — no late submissions”. Why don’t they get together and try and even the load?

G.I think Continuous Assessment is a very sensible idea. Education should not simply be about slick exam performance, but about overall how you perform in school — how you study, how much you read, how logical and clear your essay arguments are. 50% of our final grading should be based on course work. I think it is fa

1.National language 5. Geography

2.Freedom of media 6. Leaisure and sport

3.Customs and traditions 7. Modern history

4.Public transport 8. Economic outlook

A.Lithuania is situated on the eastern Baltic coast and borders Latvia in the north, the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and Poland in the southwest, and Belarus in the southwest and east. The geometrical centre of Europe lies in eastern Lithuania 25km north of its capital Vilnius. The landscape varies between lowland plains and hilly uplands and has a complex network of rivers.

B.Lithuania has historically been the least developed of the Baltic republics, with a smaller industrial base and greater dependence on agriculture. Sugar beet, cereals, potatoes and vegetables are the main crops. Lithuania’s foreign trade has gradually changed during the 1990s, and now the European Union, not Russia, is its main trading partner.

C.Lithuanian is the mother tongue for 80% of the population. After the country joined the European Union in 2004 this language has become one of the EU official languages. Lithuania has a large number of dialects for such a small territory, including High Lithuanian and Low Lithuanian.

D.Lithuania offers different opportunities for a nice vacation. You can explore a range of large sand dunes and pine forests while hiking in the Curonian Spit National Park, take part in some action sports in Nida, a village that makes a true paradise for sailing, windsurfing, paragliding and kiting, or try out more extreme sports, such as hot-air ballooning and gliding.

E.Those who are interested in folklore may enjoy their stay in Lithuania in any season of the year. The Mardi Gras celebrations are held in various Lithuanian cities and small towns at the beginning of February. The Folklore Festival is held in Vilnius’ Old Town during in May. There you can see craft fairs, taste traditional dishes, join song and parties and listen to psalms.

F.Lithuania’s TV market is dominated by commercial channels. The radio market is similarly competitive. Lithuania’s media are free and operate independently of the state, and there are no government-owned newspapers. However, politicians do occasionally attempt to influence editorial policy.

G.In cities and towns there are buses and trolleybuses, which usually run from 05.00 to 23.00, but times do vary between routes. You can’t pay the fare to the driver in cash but you can buy coupons from him. Coupons can be also bought at news kiosks before boarding. Minibuses are less crowded but more expensive.

1.Places to stay in 5. Different landscapes

2.Arts and culture 6. Transport system

3.New country image 7. National languages

4.Going out 8. Eating out

A .Belgium has always had a lot more than the faceless administrative buildings that you can see in the outskirts of its capital, Brussels. A number of beautiful historic cities and Brussels itself offer impressive architecture, lively nightlife, first-rate restaurants and numerous other attractions for visitors. Today, the old-fashioned idea of ‘boring Belgium’ has been well and truly forgotten, as more and more people discover its very individual charms for themselves.

B .Nature in Belgium is varied. The rivers and hills of the Ardennes in the southeast contrast sharply with the rolling plains which make up much of the northern and western countryside. The most notable features are the great forest near the frontier with Germany and Luxembourg and the wide, sandy beaches of the northern coast.

C .It is easy both to enter and to travel around pocket- sized Belgium which is divided into the Dutchspeaking north and the French-speaking south. Officially the Belgians speak Dutch, French and German. Dutch is slightly more widely spoken than French, and German is spoken the least. The Belgians, living in the north, will often prefer to answer visitors in English rather than French, even if the visitor’s French is good.

D. Belgium has a wide range of hotels from 5-star luxury to small family pensions and inns. In some regions of the country, farm holidays are available. There visitors can (for a small cost) participate in the daily work of the farm. There are plenty of opportunities to rent furnished villas, flats, rooms, or bungalows for a holiday period. These holiday houses and flats are comfortable and well-equipped.

E. The Belgian style of cooking is similar to French, based on meat and seafood. Each region in Belgium has its own special dish. Butter, cream, beer and wine are generously used in cooking. The Belgians are keen on their food, and the country is very well supplied with excellent restaurants to suit all budgets. The perfect evening out here involves a delicious meal, and the restaurants and cafes are busy at all times of the week.

F.As well as being one of the best cities in the world for eating out (both for its high quality and range), Brussels has a very active and varied nightlife. It has 10 theatres which produce plays in both Dutch and French. There are also dozens of cinemas, numerous discos and many night-time cafes in Brussels. Elsewhere, the nightlife choices depend on the size of the town, but there is no shortage of fun to be had in any of the major cities.

G.There is a good system of underground trains, trams and buses in all the major towns and cities. In addition, Belgium’s waterways offer a pleasant way to enjoy the country. Visitors can take a one-hour cruise around the canals of Bruges (sometimes described as the Venice of the North) or an extended cruise along the rivers and canals linking the major cities of Belgium and the Netherlands.

1.For parents and friends 5. Mobile future

2.Radiation threat 6. Mobile booking office

3.Threat for kids 7. New language

4.Feeling of safety 8. SMS to premier

A.Mobile phones use ‘radio waves’ to send signals. Since the 1920s, scientists have known that radio waves can cause the heating of the skin and influence the nervous system. But mobile phones don’t produce many radio waves. Still children should be especially careful about mobile phone use because their nervous system may be hurt. Children should only use mobiles for short calls.

B.It is known that the strength of radio wave radiation decreases with distance. It suggests that hands-free sets may be effective in avoiding all the dangers of mobile phones. But another study described an increase in radiation that reached the user of a hands-free set. It says that the cable of the hands-free set acted as an antenna, directing more radio waves into the user’s ear.

C.Train passengers will soon be able to buy tickets on their mobile phone. Chiltern Railways plans to sell tickets through mobile phones. The new technology sends a code to a mobile phone in a text message, which passengers can then scan at the station ticket barrier. It’s hoped the method will make buying tickets easier for passengers and help fight against queues at stations.

D.Many parents now use mobiles to control their children’s behaviour. It gives parents peace of mind and makes young people feel protected. Parents say that young people are safer with mobiles than without them. But, while parents said they liked to call their children on the mobile to actually hear their voice, young people liked to send text messages to parents.

E.A research showed that those young people who have a mobile feel more independent and often use it to plan meetings both relatives and peers. In particular, young people often use mobiles to ask their parents if they can come home later. The study showed that girls more often text parents to let them know they were safe than boys. They also use text messaging for socializing purposes.

F.It is not only parents who want to connect with young people through mobile technologies. Nowadays politicians and different organizations look for ways to use text messaging as a channel for communication with the young. In late 2004, the UK government offered people the opportunity to ‘text Tony’. People were invited to send a text question to the prime minister to be answered as part of a ‘mobile chat’.

G.The popularity of text messages led to the development of a special system of words or ‘chat speak’. For example, acronyms, that are words made from the first letters of other words, are often used both in online chatrooms and text messages sent to your mobile phone. This ‘chat speak’ is very popular with children who are fast at texting. Parents might be interested to know that ‘PAW’ means ‘parents are watching’!

1.National language 5. Geography

2.Freedom of media 6. Leisure and sport

3.Customs and traditions 7. Modern history

4.Public transport 8. Economic outlook

A.Lithuania is situated on the eastern Baltic coast and borders Latvia in the north, the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and Poland in the southwest, and Belarus in the southwest and east. The geometrical centre of Europe lies in eastern Lithuania 25km north of its capital Vilnius. The landscape varies between lowland plains and hilly uplands and has a complex network of rivers.

B.Lithuania has historically been the least developed of the Baltic republics, with a smaller industrial base and greater dependence on agriculture. Sugar beet, cereals, potatoes and vegetables are the main crops. Lithuania’s foreign trade has gradually changed during the 1990s, and now the European Union, not Russia, is its main trading partner.

C.Lithuanian is the mother tongue for 80% of the population. After the country joined the European Union in 2004 this language has become one of the EU official languages. Lithuania has a large number of dialects for such a small territory, including High Lithuanian and Low Lithuanian.

D.Lithuania offers different opportunities for a nice vacation. You can explore a range of large sand dunes and pine forests while hiking in the Curonian Spit National Park, take part in some action sports in Nida, a village that makes a true paradise for sailing, windsurfing, paragliding and kiting, or try out more extreme sports, such as hot-air ballooning and gliding.

E.Those who are interested in folklore may enjoy their stay in Lithuania in any season of the year. The Mardi Gras celebrations are held in various Lithuanian cities and small towns at the beginning of February. The Folklore Festival is held in Vilnius’ Old Town during in May. There you can see craft fairs, taste traditional dishes, join song and parties and listen to psalms.

F.Lithuania’s TV market is dominated by commercial channels. The radio market is similarly competitive. Lithuania’s media are free and operate independently of the state, and there are no government-owned newspapers. However, politicians do occasionally attempt to influence editorial policy.

G.In cities and towns there are buses and trolleybuses, which usually run from 05.00 to 23.00, but times do vary between routes. You can’t pay the fare to the driver in cash but you can buy coupons from him. Coupons can be also bought at news kiosks before boarding. Minibuses are less crowded but more expensive.

1. Unhealthy eating habits 5. Simple lifestyles

2. Correcting mother nature 6. Summer all year round

3. The turning point 7. Unnatural lasts longer

4. The solution 8. A tricky question

A. Have you ever wondered where our food comes from? The obvious answer is that it comes from the supermarket. However, that still doesn't answer the question because nowadays, it can come from anywhere on the planet. In addition, we have no idea how some of the food products we buy, such as hot dogs or cookies, are made. For us, food is sometimes a mystery.

B. Long ago, things were not so mysterious. Our ancestors would have known exactly where their food had come from. When we were hunters and gatherers, we ate what we killed or gathered with our own hands. Later as farmers, we grew or raised the food that we ate. If we didn't grow it ourselves, it would have come from a nearby farm or at the furthest, a neighboring village.

C. Beginning in the late 15th century, during the development of trade with India and America everything changed. Explorers discovered exotic kinds of food such as potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins and chocolate, and introduced them to Europe. Although they are common now, people back then were suspicious and even thought they might be poisonous. All of a sudden, what you were eating was not so obvious.

D. In recent times, technology and modern forms of transportation have changed things even more. Food can be shipped from one side of the planet to the other, and refrigeration means that we don't have to worry about things spoiling. As a result, the whole idea of seasonal fruits and vegetables has lost its meaning and it no longer seems strange to eat strawberries in winter. Exotic fruits have become common, and many people have no idea where they come from.

E. Advances in food science and chemistry have changed food even more. Processed foods such as cookies, cereal, spaghetti sauces and soft drinks are made in factories with chemicals. The reason this is done is to save money since natural ingredients cost much more than artificial ones. It's also done to increase the shelf life, meaning the time that the products can remain on the shelves of the supermarket without going bad.

F. Even if you avoid eating processed foods, you still can't be sure what you are eating. Farming practices have changed beyond recognition and farms are often run like a factory. Animals are injected with hormones to make them fat and fruits and vegetables are genetically modified to produce 'improved' versions. In addition, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are regularly sprayed on plants. The health effects of this are not yet known and have yet to be seen.

G. So what can you do? The main thing you can do is educate yourself so that you know exactly what you are eating. Read the labels carefully and know what chemical ingredients are harmful. Try to buy organic fruits and vegetables that are grown naturally or buy them from local farmers' markets. By being aware and selective of the food that we buy, we can be more certain of what we are eating, enjoy more delicious food, as well as make sure we are eating healthily.

1.Naturally different 5. Small differences

2.Big age difference 6. No difference at all

3.Different opinions 7. Different rules

4.Different ambitions 8. Learning to be different

A.John and James are identical twins but they don’t go to the same school. Their parents felt this would help them develop individual tastes, interests and styles-but the boys at first hated the idea. Now they are really happy at their schools but occasionally they swap places just for fun! The brothers are best friends but they now agree that their parents were probably correct.

B.Anna and Beth are twin sisters but they are most unlike each other. Technically they are “non-identical” twins. Anna is blonde and Beth is a brunette. Anna is noisy, energetic and always crashing around to hip hop and rap. Beth is much quieter and likes listening to classical music and reading. Anna eats anything and Beth is a vegetarian. But they are, absolutely, the closest and best of friends.

C.The Perkins children, Sally and John, both study hard every evening after college and most weekends. Sally studies French, history and Art. She plans to go to university in Paris and wants to either work in a museum or an art sale room. John studies the Russian language, business studies and maths. He wants to study in St. Petersburg and to set up his own import business. I am sure both will succeed.

D.Greg’s dad believes that there is no original, exciting new music being written and performed today. Greg strongly disagrees and can name several new bands and singers that are both completely original and really popular. But his Dad is a professional musician and was quite successful when he was young. He argues that nearly every successful song now is simply a reworked version of an older one.

E.In the UK you can legally do different things depending on your age. You can vote for a new government at 18 but at 17 you cannot drink a beer. At 16 you can marry and become a parent but you cannot drive to your wedding or make a traditional toast! Meanwhile lots of bars and clubs are open only to people above 21 which means, married, voting, car driving parents could still be too young to enter.

F.Serious stamp collectors are men and women who appreciate details. To the casual observer, the oldest postage stamps in the world — the Victorian “Penny Blacks” — all look identical. Millions were made but only a few of them are truly valuable. A serious collector knows this and the ability to find tiny variations in the paper, ink or code used helps them to find the “Penny Black’s” that are rare and valuable. 

G.Dina Ruiz has Japanese and black ancestry on her father’s side of the family and English, Welsh and German on her mother’s. She was born in California and married her husband, actor Clint Eastwood, in Las Vegas. When she first met Eastwood, she was 28 and he was 63. She is most famous as a TV news “anchor” and is Chair of The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.we are eating, enjoy more delicious food, as well as make sure we are eating healthily.

1. Plan beforehand 5. A music group for street

2. Carnival roots 6. Carnival’s music

3. The best viewpoints 7. The time for pleasure

4. Styles of dancing 8. The time to attend the Carnival

A. Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become a world-famous annual celebration. It is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil for almost a week 40 days before Easter, which is usually in February, the hottest month in the Southern Hemisphere. Officially, it starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, during which some Christians give up something that they enjoy.

B. The most colourful events take place in the Carnival World Capital, Rio de Janeiro. It was the original place where, in 1723, Portuguese immigrants went out onto the streets soaking each other with buckets of water and throwing mud and food, often ending up in street brawls and riots. The concept kept changing throughout the 1800s with more organized parades, where the Emperor with a group of aristocrats joined in masks with luxurious costumes and music.

C. Now the parade varies from state to state. It is a mixture of arts. The music played during Rio Carnival is samba — a unique Brazilian music originating from Rio. It's also a dance form that was invented by the poor Afro-Brazilians as a type of ritual music. The word «samba» meant to pray to the spirits of the ancestors and the gods of the African Pantheon. As a noun, it could mean a complaint or a cry.

D. Even today, the most involved groups in Rio Carnival are the poorest, the so-called «favelas», where houses are made of cardboard or other metal remains, and there is often no water, electricity or sewage system. However, the favelas' residents always join in the festivities and actually make the Carnival, which really means a lot to them. Because, for once during the year, they get to go out and have as much fun as they can.

E.Residents of the favelas are often members of local samba schools and are deeply involved with the performance and costumes of their groups. Each neighborhood in Rio has its favorite Carnival street band. There are more than 300 of them in Rio nowadays, and each year this number increases. Each band has its place or street for its parade and the big ones usually close the streets to the traffic.

F.Rio de Janeiro is usually divided into three zones. The so-called Zona Sul is by far the most pleasant place to stay in Rio, as it is by the sea and is the most civilized part of the city. Districts Copacabana and Ipanema together form a big stage offering a carnival happening at every corner. Leblon, being a bit more upscale, is also an excellent location.

G.Except the industries, malls and the carnival-related workers, the country stops completely for almost a week and festivities are intense, day and night. If you plan to go to watch the Carnival, you should organize your trip well in advance. The best hotels, especially in the Zona Sul, are booked up early, so it's a good idea to make a reservation at least 3 or 4 months in advance.

1. Places to stay in 5. Camping holidays

2. Public transport 6. Contacts with neighbours

3. Cultural differences 7. Different landscapes

4. Nightlife 8. Eating out

A.Sweden is a land of contrast, from the Danish influence of the southwest to the Laplanders wandering freely with their reindeer in the wild Arctic north. And while Sweden in cities is stylish and modern, the countryside offers many simpler pleasures for those who look for peace and calm. The land and its people have an air of reserved calm, and still the world’s best-selling pop group Abba, which used to attract crowds of hysterical fans, come from Sweden.

B.Historically, Sweden has an interesting story. Its dealings with the outside world began, in fact, during Viking times, when in addition to the well- known surprise attacks of the nearby lands, there was much trading around the Baltic, mostly in furs and weapons. Swedish connections with the other Scandinavian countries, Norway and Denmark, have been strong since the Middle Ages. The monarchies of all three are still closely linked.

C.Sweden’s scenery has a gentler charm than that of neighbouring Norway’s rocky coast. Much of Sweden is forested, and there are thousands lakes, notably large pools near the capital, Stockholm. The lakeside resort in the centre of Sweden is popular with Scandinavians, but most visitors prefer first the Baltic islands. The largest island, Gotland, with its ruined medieval churches, is a particular attraction.

D.Sweden boasts a good range of hotels, covering the full spectrum of prices and standards. Many of them offer discounts in summer and at weekends during the winter. In addition, working farms throughout Sweden offer accommodation, either in the main farmhouse or in a cottage nearby. Forest cabins and chalets are also available throughout the country, generally set in beautiful surroundings, near lakes, in quiet forest glades or on an island in some remote place.

E.Living in a tent or caravan with your family or friends at weekends and on holiday is extremely popular in Sweden and there is a fantastic variety of special places. Most are located on a lakeside or by the sea with free bathing facilities close at hand. There are over 600 campsites in the country. It is often possible to rent boats or bicycles, play mini-golf or tennis, ride a horse or relax in a sauna. It is also possible to camp in areas away from other houses.

F.Swedes like plain meals, simply prepared from the freshest ingredients. As a country with a sea coast and many freshwater lakes, fish dishes are found on all hotel or restaurant menus. Top-class restaurants in Sweden are usually fairly expensive, but even the smallest towns have reasonably priced self-service restaurants and grill bars. Many restaurants all over Sweden offer a special dish of the day at a reduced price that includes main course, salad, soft drink and coffee.

G.Stockholm has a variety of pubs, cafes, clubs, restaurants, cinemas and theatres but in the country evenings tend to be very calm and peaceful. From August to June the Royal Ballet performs in Stockholm. Music and theatre productions take place in many cities during the summer in the open air.

1.Perfect time for a picnic 5. Diving into history

2.See them fly 6. Famous religious celebrations

3.From pig to pork 7. Animal races and shows

4.From a holiday to a sport 8. Music from every corner of the world

A. Diwali is a five-day festival that is celebrated in October or November, depending on the cycle of the moon. It represents the start of the Hindu New Year and honors the victory of good over evil, and brightness over darkness. It also marks the start of winter. Diwali is actually celebrated in honor of Lord Rama and his wife Sita. One of the best places to experience Diwali is in the «pink city» of Jaipur, in Rajasthan. Each year there's a competition for the best decorated and most brilliantly lit up market that attracts visitors from all over India.

B. The Blossom Kite Festival, previously named the Smithsonian Kite Festival, is an annual event that is traditionally a part of the festivities at the National Cherry Blossom Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Kite enthusiasts show off their stunt skills and compete for awards in over 36 categories including aerodynamics and beauty. The Kite Festival is one of the most popular annual events in Washington, DC and features kite fliers from across the U.S. and the world.

C. The annual Ostrich Festival has been recognized as one of the «Top 10 Unique Festivals in the United States» with its lanky ostriches, multiple entertainment bands and many special gift and food vendors. It is truly a unique festival, and suitable for the entire family. The Festival usually holds Ostrich Races, an Exotic Zoo, Pig Races, a Sea Lion Show, a Hot Rod Show, Amateur Boxing and a Thrill Circus.

D. Iceland's Viking Festival takes place in mid-June every year and lasts 6 days, no matter what the weather in Iceland may be. It's one of the most popular annual events in Iceland where you can see Viking-style costumes, musical instruments, jewelry and crafts at the Viking Village. Visitors at the Viking Festival see sword fighting by professional Vikings and demonstrations of marksmanship with bows and muscle power. They can listen to Viking songs and lectures at the festival, or grab a bite at the Viking Restaurant nearby.

E.Dragon Boat Festival is one of the major holidays in Chinese culture. This summer festival was originally a time to ward off bad spirits, but now it is a celebration of the life of Qu Yuan, who was a Chinese poet of ancient period. Dragon boat festival has been an important holiday for centuries for Chinese culture, but in recent years dragon boat racing has become an international sport.

F.The Mangalica Festival is held in early February at Vajdahunyad Castle in Budapest. It offers the opportunity to experience Hungarian food, music, and other aspects of Hungarian culture. The festival is named for a furry pig indigenous to the region of Hungary and the Balkans. A mangalica is a breed of pig recognizable by its curly hair and known for its fatty flesh. Sausage, cheese and other dishes made with pork can be sampled at the festival.

G.Hanami is an important Japanese custom and is held all over Japan in spring. Hanami literally means «viewing flowers», but now it is a cherry blossom viewing. The origin of hanami dates back to more than one thousand years ago when aristocrats enjoyed looking at beautiful cherry blossoms and wrote poems. Nowadays, people in Japan have fun viewing cherry blossoms, drinking and eating. People bring home-cooked meals, do BBQ, or buy takeout food for hanami.

1. A good source of information 5. Making it quick and efficient

2. From elitist knowledge to democratic usage 6. The victory of technology

3. The revival of letter writing 7. Beauty is forever

4. A beautiful tradition lost 8. As long As you can write on it

A. There is something pleasant about receiving a handwritten letter from a friend. It is also very enjoyable to write a letter — choosing the paper and envelope, writing with a favourite pen, and the satisfying closure of licking the envelope and putting on a stamp. Unfortunately, since the widespread use of email, not many people write and send letters any more. The history of letter writing, however, is very interesting.

B. Before the invention of the postal service, letters were delivered on foot by couriers. The ancient Greeks used athletic runners for that. Later, horses were used because they were faster and could be changed at various stations. The Romans developed this system into a postal service. The Latin word 'positus' meant carriers, and that is where the English word 'post' comes from.

C. The material of letter writing has changed over time. Originally, people wrote on clay tablets. Later the Egyptians started using papyrus, a plant that grows in the river. The English word 'paper' comes from this plant. In the West, paper was produced from animal skins. In medieval times, the Saxons used the bark of the beech tree, called bok. This is where the English word 'book' comes from.

D. Literacy has had a big effect on letter writing: if you can't read you can't write letters! Before the 15t century letter writing was restricted to governments, the church, and the aristocracy. After the invention of the printing press that made books cheaper, literacy was greatly increased. Ordinary people started writing letters and it became the most popular and the only way of long distance communication until the invention of the telegraph in 1837.

E. Much of what we know of the lives of people long dead comes from personal letters. Certainly books have provided historical information about the Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, but much of what we know of daily life from these periods comes from letters. Modern biographers get most of their information about the famous people they are writing about from their correspondence.

F. In the 18th and 19th centuries, letter writing was considered an art and essential part of life. People wrote not only to keep in touch but also as a method of literary expression, as a work of art, and conformed to conventions of etiquette and form. Literary figures wrote letters knowing that they would be read in the future by historians, and one day might be published. There were even novels consisting of a series of letters, known as the epistolary novel.

G. Even after the telephone became a common fixture in homes, people continued to write letters. What killed the letter was the widespread use of email, and the development of texting and chatting on social media. This type of communication holds many advantages. You don't need to worry about the hassle of paper, envelopes, stamps, and going to the mailbox. It is also possible to get an instant reply.

1. Useful Invention 5. Verbal misunderstanding

2. US Younger Generation 6. Britain, the world Empire

3. Modern Branch of Industry 7. All in one

4. Historical Separation 8. Old enough

A.For 150 years America was a British colony. At that time British and American English were almost exactly the same. When America won the War of Independence in 1776, it became a free country. The USA was quickly growing richer, and millions of Europeans came to settle here. They brought new words and expressions to the language. As a result, English in America began to develop in its own way and today, there are certain differences in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and spelling between American and British English.

B.Typical American teenagers are in fact very ordinary. They think their teachers make them work too hard, they love their parents but are sure they don’t understand anything, and their friendships are the most important things in their lives. Some of them do have a lot of money to spend, but usually they have earned it themselves. Most young people take jobs while they are in school. They work at movie theatres, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, and stores to pay for their clothes and entertainment. Maybe this is what makes them so independent from their parents at such a young age?

C.Is it possible to have one device with the functions of a TV-set, a PC and the Internet? With the advent of Internet TV it has become a reality. Imagine watching a film on TV and getting information on the actors in the film at the same time! To enter web-addresses and write e-mails you use a remote control and an on-screen keyboard or an optional wireless keyboard. By clicking a button, you can also read adverts, ‘chat’ with a friend, plan your holiday and play your favourite video games. And in the future you’ll be able to change the plot of the film you are watching!

D.When do you stop being a child and become an adult? There are lots of laws about the age when you can start doing things. In Britain, for example, you can get married at 16, but you cannot get a tattoo until you are 18. In most American states you can have a driving licence at 17, but you cannot drink until you are 21. In Russia you can be put to prison when you are 16, but you cannot vote until you are 18. In fact, most European countries and the US have the same age for voting: 18. Many people, however, think that this is unfair. They would like to vote at an earlier age.

E.Blue jeans were a by-product of the Gold Rush. The man who invented jeans, Levi Strauss, emigrated from Germany to San Francisco in 1850. Levi was 20 years old, and he decided to sell clothes to the miners who were in California in search of gold. When he was told that durable trousers were the most needed item of clothing, Levi began making jeans of heavy tent canvas. Levi’s jeans were an immediate success. Soon he switched from canvas to a cotton fabric which came from Nimes, a city in France. The miners called it ‘denim’ and bought a lot of trousers from Strauss.

F.Some fifty years ago people hadn’t even heard of computers, and today we cannot imagine our life without them. Computer technology is now the fastest-growing industry in the world. The first computer was the size of a minibus and weighed a ton. Today, its job can be done by a chip the size of a pinhead. And the revolution is still going on. Very soon we’ll have computers that we’ll wear on our wrists or even in our glasses and ear-rings. Such wearable computers are now being developed in the USA.

G.Some American words are simply unknown on the other side of the Atlantic, and vice versa. But a lot of words exist in both variants, and these can cause trouble. British visitors to America are often surprised at the different meanings that familiar words have acquired there. If an Englishman asks in an American store for a vest, he will be offered a waistcoat. If he wants to buy a handbag for his wife, he should ask for a purse, and if she wants to buy a pair of tights, she should ask for pantyhose: tights in America are what ballet dancers wear.

1. Different pets, different characters 5. Friends in need

2. Having fun together 6. Pets can teach

3. A long-term treatment 7. A global problem

4. Reading dog stories 8. Where to get a pet

A. It has become clear that stress affects our mental and physical health and, sadly, our world has become more stressful than ever. We live in the environment that can easily wear us out. Luckily, there are certain methods to reduce stress and have control. One of the best is to own a pet. Pets require attention and dedication, but those are small prices to pay for the amount of benefits they bring into our lives.

B. Pets provide support because they are always available to listen (without any judgment) or rub up against your hand, which can help you relax after a hectic day. They can help you see the situation differently and let out some steam.Moreover, when you are feeling under the weather, there is nothing like a sweet pair of eyes that immediately get your mind off thoughts that are making you sad and depressed.

C. Companionship with a loving pet is a real source of entertainment. Pets are constantly giving off love and gratitude, and they are happy to be in your presence. You can be yourself around pets. You can dance silly or talk silly, and they will not criticize you. In fact, they will love the silliness and get silly themselves. Cats and dogs are fantastic companions to sit down and watch TV at night.

D. Studies have shown that communicating with a pet boosts the immune system, improves heart health, reduces physical pain, and improves mental health as well. One man with tuberculosis says that the cat he received after his diagnosis kept him going for 21 years with little pain and very few physical issues. He talked to his cat which helped him walk through his troubles. That proves the power of true love that animals have.

E. Pets are living creatures that have habits and personalities. They can surprise you. Dogs, cats, and birds are probably most known for having distinct personalities. However, one snake owner says that her snake had his own unique personality. He got excited when she came into the room, and she would often put him in the bathtub where he would do all sorts of funny tricks while splashing around.

F. No matter what type of pet you get, it will require you to take care of it. Being responsible for another living being can help you be more responsible in the rest of your life too. This is especially true for kids who are learning the value of good habits. However, adults can benefit from the consistent responsibility as well. Responsible pet owners are kind to pets and remember they are their pets’ world.

G. With millions of cats and dogs killed in shelters in the United States every year, adopting a pet instead of buying one saves at least one animal’s life. Adoption saves not only the animal you adopt, but also the new animal the shelter can take in. Adopting from a shelter helps both ends of the problem: fewer animals will be bred, and more animals can go to a good home.

1. Perfect for a quiet holiday 5. Perfect for an active holiday

2. Land of nature wonders 6. Difficult start

3. Bad for animals 7. New perspectives

4. A visit to the zoo 8. New rules to follow

A.The mountains of Scotland (we call them the Highlands) are a wild and beautiful part of Europe. A golden eagle flies over the mountains. A deer walks through the silence of the forest. Salmon and trout swim in the clean, pure water of the rivers. Some say that not only fish swim in the deep water of Loch Ness. Speak to the people living by the Loch. Each person has a story of the monster, and some have photographs.

B.Tresco is a beautiful island with no cars, crowds or noise — just flowers, birds, long sandy beaches and the Tresco Abbey Garden. John and Wendy Pyatt welcome you to the Island Hotel, famous for delicious food, comfort and brilliant service. You will appreciate superb accommodation, free saunas and the indoor swimming pool.

C.The Camel and Wildlife Safari is a unique mixture of the traditional and modern. Kenya’s countryside suits the Safari purposes exceptionally well. Tourists will have a chance to explore the bush country near Samburu, to travel on a camel back or to sleep out under the stars. Modern safari vehicles are always available for those who prefer comfort.

D.Arrival can be the hardest part of a trip. It is late, you are road-weary, and everything is new and strange. You need an affordable place to sleep, something to eat and drink, and probably a way to get around. But in general, it’s a wonderful trip, full of wonderful and unusual places. Whether it is the first stop on a trip or the fifth city visited, every traveller feels a little overwhelmed stepping onto a new street in a new city.

E.No zoo has enough money to provide basic habitats or environments for all the species they keep. Most animals are put in a totally artificial environment, isolated from everything they would meet in their natural habitat. Many will agree that this isolation is harmful to the most of zoo inhabitants, it can even amount to cruelty.

F.A new London Zoo Project is a ten year project to secure the future for the Zoo and for many endangered animals. The plan has been devised by both animal and business experts to provide world-leading accommodation for all our animals, to more fully engage and inform people about conservation issues, to redesign certain aspects of Zoo layout.

G.Leave-no-trace camping is an increasingly popular approach to travel in wilderness areas. As the term suggests, the goal is for the camper to leave as little impact as possible on the place he is visiting. One of its mottos is “Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints.” Its simplest and most fundamental rule is: pack it in, pack it out, but it goes beyond that.

1. Hard to see and to believe 5. Inspired by noble goals

2. From travelling to discovery 6. Hard to explain how they could

3. Little experience — big success 7. Protected by law

4. Small size — great opportunities 8. Breathtaking just to watch

A. Charles Darwin's five-year voyage on H. M. S. Beagle has become legendary and greatly influenced his masterwork, the book, On the Origin of Species. Darwin didn't actually formulate his theory of evolution while sailing around the world aboard the Royal Navy ship. But the exotic plants and animals he encountered challenged his thinking and led him to consider scientific evidence in new ways.

B. The 19th century was a remarkable time for exploration. Vast portions of the globe, such as the interior of Africa, were mapped by explorers and adventurers. It was the time when David Livingstone became convinced of his mission to reach new peoples in Africa and introduce them to Christianity, as well as free them from slavery.

C. Louis Pasteur's various investigations convinced him of the Tightness of his germ theory of disease, which holds that germs attack the body from outside. Many felt that such tiny organisms as germs could not possibly kill larger ones such as humans. But Pasteur extended this theory to explain the causes of many diseases — including cholera, ТВ and smallpox — and their prevention by vaccination.

D. Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect who designed New York City's Central Park, called the Yosemite Valley «the greatest glory of nature.» Californians convinced one of their representatives, Senator John Conness, to do something about its protection. In May 1864, Conness introduced legislation to bring the Yosemite Valley under the control of the state of California. President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill into law.

E. The Maya thrived for nearly 2,000 years. Without the use of the cartwheel or metal tools, they built massive stone structures. They were accomplished scientists. They tracked a solar year of 365 days and one of the few surviving ancient Maya books contains tables of eclipses. From observatories, like the one at Chichen Itza, they tracked the progress of the war star, Mars.

F. Bali has been a surfing hotspot since the early 20th century, and continues to attract surfers from all over the world. The island's small size and unique geography provides wonderful surfing conditions, in all seasons, for surfers of any level of experience. Inexperienced surfers might like to try Kuta's kind waves, while more able surfers will try Nusa Dua's powerful waves.

G. Base jumping is an extreme sport, one which only very adventurous travelers enjoy. Some base jumpers leap off bridges, others off buildings and the most extreme off cliffs in Norway. Once a year, base jumpers in the US get to leap off the New River Bridge in West Virginia. During the annual Bridge Day, hundreds of jumpers can go off the bridge legally. Thousands of spectators show up to watch.

1. Recovery of a masterpiece 5. Return to the market

2. Return of the popularity 6. A happy comeback

3. Dangerous when rare 7. From Eastern to Western culture

4. Back and deep into the past 8. They come back in spring

A. The Mona Lisa, also known as La Giaconda, became world famous after it was stolen from the Louvre in 1911. The painting was missing for two years before police traced the theft to Italian painter, Vincenzo Peruggia, who stole the work to return it to its country of origin. The Louvre Museum in Paris built a separate room to house the Mona Lisa, giving up to five million visitors a year the chance to see the painting.

B. The tradition of telling stories with a series of sequential images has been a part of Japanese culture long before Superman comic strips. The earliest examples of pre-manga artwork that influenced the development of modern Japanese comics are commonly attributed to Toba Sojo, an 11th-century painter-priest with an odd sense of humor. Toba's animal paintings satirized life in the Buddhist priesthood by drawing priests as rabbits or monkeys engaged in silly activities.

C. When the story in which Holmes died was published in a popular magazine in 1893, the British reading public was outraged. More than 20,000 people canceled their subscriptions. The demand for Holmes stories was so great that Conan Doyle brought the great detective back to life by explaining that no one had actually seen Holmes go down the Reichenbach Falls. The public, glad to have new tales, bought the explanation.

D. Caviar refers to the salted eggs of the fish species, sturgeon. At the beginning of the 19th century, the United States was one of the greatest producers of caviar in the world. Because of overfishing, commercial sturgeon harvesting was banned. Today, mostly through farm-raised varieties, caviar production has returned in America. Some American caviar is very high in quality and has been compared favorably to wild Caspian caviar.

E.T.S. Eliot wrote in his poem, "The Waste Land," that April was the "cruelest month." He was living in England at the time, and the weather there can be dreadfully rainy and cold during spring. But from a cook's point of view, April is anything but cruel. The month brings us some of the freshest, most wonderful foods. Consider the first ripe strawberries, asparagus, artichokes, tiny peas, and so much more.

F.When the eruption of Vesuvius started on the morning of 24 August, 79 AD, it caught the local population completely unprepared. The catastrophic magnitude of the eruption was connected with the long period of inactivity that preceded it. The longer the intervals between one eruption and another, the greater the explosion will be. Luckily, the frequent but low-level activity of Vesuvius in recent centuries has relieved the build-up of pressure in the magma chamber.

G.Iron Age Britain can only be understood from the archaeological evidence. There are few spectacular ruins from Iron Age Britain. Unlike in Classical Greece or Ancient Egypt, in Iron Age Britain there was no construction of major cities, palaces, temples or pyramids. Rather, it was an essentially rural world of farms and villages, which had no economic or religious need to build palaces, cities, major tombs or ceremonial sites.

1. Just in time 5. Reduced expectations

2. Just in case 6. Royal brother

3. Eventful life 7. Royal ancestor

4. A curious case 8. Double trouble

A. I am a mother of identical, mirror-image boys — David and John. No one but me can tell them apart. I am constantly amazed at how close they are. Once when they were babies David was ill, but it was John who began crying wildly. I tried to calm John first since nothing was wrong with him. But he only cried louder. Finally I gave some medicine to David — who really was unwell. As soon as John sensed his brother felt better, he immediately settled to sleep.

B. The 12 year old was playing near the Platte River in North Bend, Nebraska. The river was high and as the boy stepped in, the current pushed his legs away. He floated off, spinning in the powerful current. At the last possible moment before the rapids, his yells were heard by his dog. It jumped in, reached the boy and towed him ashore. Another second and the boy would have been swept away to certain death.

C. Armgaard Karl Graves, referred to in press reports as ‘the Glasgow Spy’, was convicted in Scotland under the Official Secrets Act (1911) for spying on the British Navy. He spent years successfully creating an identity as an Australian doctor and in Scotland even conducted important clinical experiments. But he was eventually caught by a suspicious post office worker as he sent and received post under a variety of assumed names.

D. Zsa Zsa Gabor was born in Budapest on February 6th, 1917. Now in her 90s she has had a long and varied life. She was a beauty queen and singer before becoming a famous screen actress. She was married 8 times but only had one child with second husband, Conrad Hilton. Her last marriage to Frederic von Anhalt gave her the honorary title Prinzessin von Anhalt.

E. “Who do you think you are” is one of my favourite TV programs. Each episode researches the family history of a celebrity, back into the mists of time. In the UK there are good records of births, marriages and deaths going back hundreds of-years. One of the best episodes was on Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London. He was thrilled when he discovered he was directly related to King George II.

F. Paris Hilton is a famous socialite, media personality, actress, model and singer. In 2007 her grandfather Barron Hilton pledged 97% of his estate — a value of more than 2 billion US dollars — to a charitable foundation. Many now believe that Paris and the other grandchildren have had their potential inheritance sharply reduced. Others have commented that this news was unlikely to change her future life style.

G. Andy always travels well equipped for any potential possibility. He has a sewing repair kit and a small medical kit with aspirin. These are, I suppose, perfectly sensible. But what about a ball of string, tape measure, masking tape, Swiss army penknife, disposable cutlery, disinfectant, dry bags and an inflatable back rest? Andy says you never know what might happen and it’s always best to be prepared

. 1. Not Just Fun 5. Team work in sport and life

2. Running For Heart and Mind 6. Next year we win

3. United By The Game 7. Learning from father

4. I Want To Be A Coach 8. School between practices

A. I believe playing sports is more than an activity to fill your day, it can teach important life lessons. When I was a child, my dad spent a lot of time teaching me how to play different sports. He told me that if I can succeed in sports, I can succeed at anything in life. He used to say, ‘It’s not about how good you become. It’s about working hard to get where you want to be.’

B. I like bicycles. Group rides help me to get new skills and make new friends. I try to apply the tactics of group riding to team work in the real world. In the perfect group ride, each rider takes a turn leading the pack, while the others enjoy the benefits of drafting. I think this way of working is a great method for approaching a group task anywhere.

C. I believe in the power of running. Running should not be a battle for your body but rather a rest for your mind. I felt this last fall, when I was running in the park. Suddenly I felt as if I could have run forever, as if I could use running as a source of therapy for my body. Running allows the body to release different types of stress and even change our understanding of life.

D. My father coached basketball every day of his life, and I was right there with him in the gym watching him work his magic. Basketball appears entertaining and exciting. But the path to success is not simple. My father always told me, ‘Nothing is free.’ I took this advice and ran with it. I truly believe that only practice and determination lead to success.

E. Baseball is so much more than a sport. One of the powers of baseball is that it brings people together. It unites fans of all ages, genders, and nationalities. No matter who you are, you can be a baseball fan. My mom and I have one unspoken rule: no matter what has been going on before, no fighting at the game.

F. I believe that you must always be loyal to the sport teams you support. The teams I follow in the United States generally lose many more than they win. The start of each season brings dreams of victory in baseball, basketball or football, dreams that fade away soon. But then there is always next year. It will be our year for sure

G. I was determined to join the swim team. I knew I would get my strengths and learn my weaknesses there. Waking up early for 6:30 a.m. practices is what swim team is all about, as it helps us get into state. On a long school day you think about the practice in the pool after school. You want to hear the crowd cheering you, telling you that you have to do more than your best.

1. Reason for extension 5. Shift towards history

2. Presents begin to enrich the collection 6. First famous exhibits

3. New collections for the new building 7. One of the basis of two

4. New field for the old museum 8. Location of the museum

A. The present Ashmolean Museum was created in 1908 by combining two ancient Oxford institutions: the University Art Collection and the original Ashmolean Museum. The older partner in this merger, the University Art Collection, was based for many years in what is now the Upper Reading Room in the Bodleian Library.

B. The collection began modestly in the 1620s with a handful of portraits and curiosities displayed in a small room on the upper floor. In the 17th century there were added notable collections of coins and medals later incorporated into the Ashmolean coin collection. The objects of curiosity included Guy Fawkes' lantern and a sword given by the Pope to Henry VIII, and a number of more exotic items.

C. In the 1660s and 70s, the collection grew rapidly and, in 1683, the Bodleian Gallery was left to develop as a museum of art. At first, it was a gallery of portraits of distinguished contemporaries, but from the mid 1660s, it began to acquire a more historical perspective with the addition of images of people from the past: college founders, scientists, soldiers, monarchs, writers and artists.

D. In the eighteenth century, several painters donated self-portraits. They also added a number of landscapes, historical paintings and scenes from contemporary life. Other donors, former members of the University, added collections of Old Masters so that by the early nineteenth century, it had become an art gallery of general interest and an essential point of call on the tourist map. The public was admitted on payment of a small charge. Catalogues were available at the entrance and the paintings were well displayed in a large gallery.

E. It was only with the gift of a collection of ancient Greek and Roman statuary from the Countess of Pomfret in 1755 that the need for a new art gallery became urgent. The marble figures were too heavy to be placed in an upstairs gallery and were installed in a dark ground-floor room in the library pending the creation of a new museum.

F. Before the new museum was finished, a major group of drawings by Raphael and Michelangelo was purchased by public subscription for the new galleries, establishing the importance of the Oxford museum as a centre for the study of Old Master drawings. The new museum also attracted gifts of paintings. In 1851, a collection of early Italian paintings, which included Uccello's "Hunt in the Forestone of the museum's major works of art was presented.

G. In the 1850s, the University established a new Natural History Museum, which is now known as the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. And all the natural history specimens from the Ashmolean were transferred to the new institution. Having lost what had become the most important element in its collection, the Ashmolean was to find a major new role in the emerging field of archaeology.

1.То play any tune 5. Not a bank but …

2. A brand new shore museum 6. Magic as attraction

3. Still moving along 7. A museum of popular drinks

4. Back from the seas 8. One tool museum

A. The Salem Witch Museum brings you back to Salem of 1692 for a dramatic overview of the Witch Trials, including stage sets with life-size figures, lighting and a narration. There is also a possibility to go on a candlelight tour to four selected homes. The museum is open all year round and closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Salem is also famous for its Haunted Happenings, a 24-day Halloween festival.

B. The Discover Sea Shipwreck Museum opened its doors in 1995, and has one of the largest collections of shipwreck and recovered artifacts in the Mid-Atlantic. It contains about 10,000 artifacts from local and worldwide locations, including an intact blown-glass hourglass from a 200-year-old shipwreck, which is also the world's deepest wooden wreck at the heart of the Bermuda Triangle.

C. The Seashore Trolley Museum is the oldest and largest electric railway museum in the world. It was founded in 1939 with one open trolley car, No. 31 from the Biddeford & Saco Railroad Company. The Seashore Trolley Museum contains over 250 transit vehicles, mostly trolleys, from the United States, Canada and abroad. Visitors can even take a trip along the Maine countryside aboard a restored early-1900s electric streetcar.

D. American Hop Museum is dedicated to the brewing industry and located in the heart of the Yakima Valley's hop fields, which gather the best harvest for producing beer. It chronicles the American hop industry from the New England colonies to its expansion into California and the Pacific Northwest, and includes historical equipment, photos and artifacts that pay tribute to hop, the everlasting vine that is still an integral part of the brewing industry.

E.The Money Museum in Colorado Springs is America's largest museum dedicated to numismatics (the study of collecting coins and metals). The collection contains over 250,000 items from the earliest invention of money to modern day, with items including paper money, coins, tokens, medals, and traditional money from all over the world. Highlights include the 1804 dollar, the 1913 V Nickel, the 1866 no motto series, a comprehensive collection of American gold coins, and experimental pattern coins and paper money.

F. The Kenneth G. Fiske Museum of Musical Instruments in California has one of the most diverse collections of musical instruments in the United States. This museum is home to over 1,400 American, European and ethnic instruments from the 17th-20th centuries. Selections from all parts of the world also include keyboards, brass, woodwind, stringed, percussion, mechanical and electronic instruments. Other highlights are rare pieces from the violin and viola families, reed organs and instruments from the Orient and Tibet.

G.The Hammer Museum in Alaska is the world's first museum dedicated to hammers. The Museum provides a view of the past through the use of man's first tool. You will find over 1500 hammers on display, ranging from ancient times to the present. The museum does not have any paid staff, and it is run by volunteers. This quaint and quirky museum is an interesting and informative stop for the whole family.

1. Reasons to be afraid 5. Visiting for wild life and animals

2. Fight your fear 6. Learn to be grateful

3. A place of wonders 7. It is never late to learn

4. How to say thank you 8. Reading non-verbal language

A. Nowadays when it’s all too easy to send an email or text, the best way to show that you are grateful to somebody is to actually mail a hand-written card. The person who gets it will know you took the extra time and thought to write a card and put it in the mail with a nice stamp. That person will appreciate your efforts much more. Plus, you’ll get the added bonus of feeling grateful a little longer than usual as you write out each note and wait for it to arrive.

B. Music is a noble passion, and people who can play a musical instrument have always been seen as intelligent people. Learning how to play a musical instrument is far more efficient if you do it in childhood. However, there are millions of adults who learn to enjoy music throughout their lives. Moreover, they don’t focus on just one instrument, but specialize in two or even more, if they have the time and the necessary ambition.

C. Millions of people avoid air travel each year because of their fear of flying. The fear of accidents happening is probably the most common fear among air travellers. It is an understandable fear, since there have been many aviation accidents throughout history. Some people may have a fear that the plane has some type of malfunction or breakdown, while others may have a fear that the weather or turbulance will affect the plane.

D. Try to understand that being scared is just an illusion that makes you limited and miserable. Take control of your mind and don’t let your imagination create frightening pictures in your head. If you cannot deal with it, you should make attempts to leave your comfort zone. Choose things and activities you are afraid of and meet your worries face to face, because it is impossible to run away from them. Just face your troubles no matter how powerful they may seem.

E. When you get chronically bored with something, your mind gets used to seeing the world negatively. It is necessary to break the chain of negative thoughts and train your mind to notice the best. Just write down 5 things you are thankful for. This way, your mind will change for the better in a while. The thankfulness will open your eyes to the beauty of the world around you and will help you to focus on positive moments in your life.

F. If you go to Ireland, go to isolated distant places in the country, talk to the locals and they will tell you the stories about the mythical Irish place, called the Otherworld. They believe that it is the land of paradise and happiness. In Irish poetry and tales, it is described as a series of islands near Ireland where the various fairytale creatures lived. Also the Otherworld seemed to be able to move from one location to another.

G. Many people can understand the nature of character without talking to the person they are interested in. The gestures and postures usually reflect the mood and the level of the person’s confidence. It’s easy to notice a highly confident person even in a big group of people. They stand in one place without constant moving from place to place, and they always make eye contact with the person they are talking to.

1. Climbing with experienced helpers 5. More than one summit

2. Dangers from natural disasters 6. Offering a well-equipped climb

3. Surrounded by sacred woods 7. Preferred by solo climbers

4. Impossible to climb in the cold season 8. Possible health problems

A. Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world and probably the best known. It is part of the Himalaya range on the Nepal-Tibet border. It attracts experienced mountaineers as well as beginners to complete a successful climb. The route to the summit takes from 10 to 12 hours. The mountain, while not posing substantial technical climbing difficulty on the standard route, still has many dangers, such as altitude sickness, due to the lack of oxygen.

B. K2 is the second highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest. K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and has the second highest climber fatality rate among the 8000-meter peaks. This is the reason why K2 has never been climbed in winter. Standing over 3,000 metres above the glacial valley bottoms, it is famous for its relief. K2 is a consistently steep pyramid, dropping in almost all directions.

C. Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. It has an enormous mass with numerous satellite peaks along its ridges. The word 'Kangchenjunga' means 'The Five Treasures of Snows', as it contains five peaks, four of them over 8,450 metres. The huge massif of Kangchenjunga is supported by great ridges forming a giant 'X'. These ridges contain majestic peaks between six and eight thousand metres.

D. Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain in the world and is connected to Everest via the South Col. Lhotse has been the scene of many failed attempts and some notable fatalities. Only an expert team of guides and Sherpa can make the ascent possible. Sherpa are local people, who are regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in the Himalayas. They are valuable to explorers because they have a genetic adaptation to living in high altitudes.

E. Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world. Its name means 'Mountain of the Spirit'. Manaslu's long ridges and valley glaciers offer feasible approaches from all directions and culminate in a peak that towers steeply above the surrounding landscape and is visible from a far. Full of untouched forests, the Manaslu Valley is fantastic. Tourists called it the Garden of Eden because of Buddhist prohibitions on hunting.

F. Nanga Parbat, which is the ninth highest mountain in the world, is a truly awesome spectacle. The name means 'Naked Mountain' in Hindi. Known as the 'Killer Mountain', Nanga Parbat was one of the deadliest for climbers. The route was dangerously prone to avalanche and exposed to bad weather. March is the riskiest of all months. Winters transitioning into summers cause numerous avalanches on Nanga Parbat.

G. Shishapangma is one of the easiest eight-thousanders to climb due to its location entirely within Tibet. Organized climbing is cautious and careful, with excellent leadership, ‘walkie-talkie’ radios, satellite telephones, the best oxygen bottles and apparatus available. For trekkers’ comfort, there are also yak caravans carrying heavy things, tasty food, individual tents for each member, and a full kitchen in basecamp.

1. For information and urgent help 5. Key under your skin

2. World without buttons 6. Big brother is watching you

3. To monitor and treat the disease 7. Disadvantages of tech

4. A built-in charger 8. Phone always on you

A. Sure, we’re virtually connected to our phones 24/7 now, but what if we could be literally plugged in to our phones? That’s already starting to happen. Last year, for instance, artist Anthony Antonellis had a chip put in his arm that could store and transfer data to his handheld smartphone. And researchers are already experimenting with sensors that turn human bone into living speakers.

B. In the future patients will be able to use implantable technologies to diagnose and even treat diseases. Scientists in London are developing swallowable capsule-sized chip that will control fat levels in obese patients and generate genetic material that makes them feel “full”. It has potential as an alternative to surgery to handle obesity. Also it can monitor blood-sugar levels for diabetics.

C. The U.S. military has programs to identify any person using face scanning device. Some people see it as a doubtless advantage: improved crime fighting, secure elections and never a lost child again. However, such technologies can hammer against social norms and raise privacy issues. And one day there might be a computer to see all, know all and control all.

D. One of the challenges for implantable tech is delivering power to devices which are inside human bodies. You can’t plug them in as you do with your phone or computer. You can’t easily take them out to replace a battery. A team in Cambridge is working on specific bio batteries that can generate power inside the body, transfer it wirelessly where needed, and then simply melt away.

E. Soon tattoos will not only make you look cool but will be able to perform useful tasks, like opening your car or entering smartphone codes with a fingerpoint. Researchers have made an implantable skin fibers thinner than a human hair. Scientists are working on the chip that can be put inside a finger through a tattoo-like process, letting you unlock things or enter codes simply by pointing.

F. The British research team is developing pills with microprocessors in them that can text to hospitals directly from inside your body. The pills can share inside info to help doctors know if you are taking your medication properly and if it is having the desired effect. Moreover, in case of emergency, it can send a signal to the computer and the ambulance will come straight away.

G. Lately touchscreens are everywhere – from computers, phones, tablets to car systems and vending machines. Even doorbells now include touch screen controls. One has to wonder: are we moving to a world of only touchscreen devices? And the answer is probably yes. We are coming to an age where every flat or even curved surface could be made a touchscreen and we can operate from it.

1. When we don’t sleep 5. Why dream can be scary

2. Not only for humans 6. What we feel dreaming

3. How dreaming helps 7. How we forget dreams

4. When we dream 8. How we remember dreams

A. Even though our dreams may feel like they last for hours and hours, we hardly spend more than two hours dreaming each night, which means a person spends a total of nearly six years dreaming throughout a lifetime. In general there are four phases of the sleep cycle and all dreaming occurs practically at the final phase. Each of these sleep cycles lasts approximately 60 to 90 minutes and may repeat several times throughout the night.

B. Anxiety is the most popular emotion experienced in dreams. Many people dream of falling, which is often connected to something in our lives that is going in the wrong direction. In addition, dreams of being chased are very common and are linked to avoidance. Also people report dreams about their teeth falling out, which is related to the words and communication we might have in real life.

C. Dreaming helps people make sense of the information and events that occur in their lives. Dreams play an important role in processing and remembering information that we absorb daily. Also, they help reduce stress and even solve problems. It’s very possible to work through real-life problems while dreaming at night. In addition, dreams provide a lot of important content and meaning that can be used to inspire and direct our lives during the day.

D. Nearly 5 to 10% of adults have nightmares. There are several reasons for it, for example when people start taking certain medications or when they withdraw from drugs. Some physical conditions, such as stress or illness, can also be a trigger. However, in some cases adults may have frequent nightmares that are unrelated to their everyday lives, which may signify that they are more creative, sensitive, and emotional than the average person.

E. There is no person who does not have dreams, but not everybody recalls them. The most vivid dreams happen during the Rapid Eye Movement sleep stage when the brain is extremely active and the eyes move back and forth quickly underneath the eyelids. Although dream recall varies from person to person, some people have little or no recollection of the content, and around 90% of dreams are gone following the first 10 minutes of waking up.

F. Scientists have found that animals also dream and their subconscious thoughts are connected to real experiences. Animals’ dreams are complex, containing long sequences of events. Animals’ brains share the same series of sleeping states as the brain of human beings. Analyzing animals’ dreams and the content of their dreams may help scientists treat memory disorders and develop new ways for people to learn and retain information more effectively.

G. Only five minutes after the end of a dream and half of the content is likely to vanish from our memories. It’s not that dreams aren’t important enough to keep in mind, but other things tend to get in the way. Dream researcher L. Strumpell believes that dreams disappear from our memories for a number of factors. For example, we may not recall dream images that lack intensity, association or repetition, which are usually needed for dream recall.

1. How It All Began 5. Spider-man forever!

2. Equal Rights for Comics! 6. Time of great change

3. European and Asian Varieties 7. They don’t know what they are talking about

4. No Longer Just for Children 8. Birth of a hero

A. Comic books are an important part of pop culture and loved by many. Just look at how many Hollywood films are based on superhero comics such as Spider- Man, Batman, Superman and others! However, some people mistakenly assume they are only for children or that they are only about superheroes. There are many wrong ideas about comics, and they often come from people who have never even read them.

B.Comics first appeared in the USA in the early 1900's as comic strips in newspapers. They were called 'comics' because they were about comical characters. Later they included adventure and crime stories and other genres, and became serialized. The more popular ones were printed in book format and were called comic books. These were especially common during the Great Depression. But they were often criticized for being 'literature for the illiterate'.

C.Comic books about crime fighters and criminals were in demand in the 1930's. One of them, Detective Comics, had a series about a man who dressed up as a bat to fight criminals. Fans loved him so much that eventually he had his own comic book and became known as Batman. Due to his success, other superheroes were soon invented. Superhero comics continued to grow in popularity and are now what people often associate comics with.

D.In the 1960's comic book writers began to experiment more. Some explored genres and themes not usually used for comics, others experimented with artwork, using more sophisticated styles. In the 70's and 80's these trends intensified and even the format changed. In 1978 Will Eisner wrote A Contract with God, the first full book length comic. Such works were no longer called comic books, but graphic novels.

E.Nowadays there are a great variety of comic books that are radically different from the original comic strips in newspapers. They have also become more acceptable in society: earlier, if you were not a child but were interested in comics, you were looked down upon and could be called a geek or a nerd; now comic books have become largely mainstream. Comic book conventions where fans gather and even dress up as their favorite superheroes are very popular.

F.The USA is not the only country with a history of comic books. France and Japan have their own unique traditions. In France, comics are known as bandes desslnees and in Japan, manga. Each of these has its own style and history of development. The highly stylized Japanese manga characters with big eyes and brightly colored spiky hair have become just as popular around the world as comics in the west.

G.The medium of comics will undoubtedly continue to grow. Over time, the stereotypes that surround them will hopefully change. There is no reason for comics to be any different from other media such as books, films or paintings. Comics, like these other formats, will always produce bestsellers of little artistic merit, but there will also be masterpieces equivalent to great works of art or high literature.

1. .A long way to popularity 5. Brilliant ideas and brave deeds

2. Revolutionary materials 6. It had its finest hour

3. Borrowed ideas 7. Extraordinary combinations

4. A stairway to heaven 8. Ideas on sale

A.Born in 1743, Thomas Jefferson helped shape the new American nation and also shaped some of the country's most famous buildings. The twentieth century architects who designed the circular Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. drew inspiration from Thomas Jefferson's architectural ideas. And from where did Jefferson get his ideas? The Pantheon in Rome! This building with its classical portico became a model that influenced Western architecture for 2,000 years.

B.Postmodern architecture evolved from the modernist movement, yet contradicts many of the modernist ideas. Combining new ideas with traditional forms, postmodernist buildings may startle, surprise, and even amuse. Familiar shapes and details are used in unexpected ways. Philip Johnson's AT&T Headquarters is often cited as an example of postmodernism. Like many buildings in the international style, this skyscraper has a classical facade.

C.The Industrial Revolution in Europe brought about a new trend: the use of metals instead of wood and stone in construction. Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower is perhaps the most famous example of this new use for metal. For 40 years, the Eiffel Tower measured the tallest in the world. The metal latticework, formed with very pure structural iron, makes the tower both extremely light and able to withstand tremendous wind forces.

D.By the early 1800s, Belfast had become a major port at the beating heart of the region's industry. The launching of the Titanic from the ship ways was attended by an estimated 100,000 people, showing how important this event was for Belfast. Many more impressive ships would leave the yard in the coming years before the decline of the shipbuilding industry began in the 1950s, but the Titanic marked the zenith of the great shipbuilding era in Belfast.

E.Thomas Andrews was the chief naval architect at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast during the early 1900s. He brought the idea of 'Olympic class' ocean liners to life. The most famous of these was Titanic, which he joined on its first voyage. His actions when the ship sank on 15 April 1912 are believed to have saved many lives, but at the cost of his own. In his home town of Comber, the life of Thomas Andrews is commemorated by the Memorial Hall, opened in 1915.

F.An e-book or "electronic book" is available digitally downloaded, and accessed through a device such as a computer, a smart phone or, popularly, a portable e-book reader. In 1971, Michael Hart began storing vast contents of libraries in electronic formats. Hart named his efforts Project Gutenberg, after the inventor of the printing press. Libraries were early adopters of the technology. But it took nearly thirty years for the idea of the e-book to take firm hold with the consumer.

G.The Frankfurt Book Fair is held in October of each year. It usually hosts more than 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe. For the American book publishing industry, the Frankfurt Book Fair is predominantly a trade fair, that is, a professional meeting place for publishers, editors, librarians, book subsidiary rights managers, booksellers, film producers, authors and many others who are involved in the creation and licensing of book content.

1. The House of Commons 5. The system of Government

2. Parliamentary Procedure 6. Parliamentary Committees

3. The House of Lords 7. Whitehall

4. Westminster 8. The Crown

A. Her Majesty’s Government, in spite of its name, derives its authority and power from its party representation in Parliament. Parliament is housed in the Palace of Westminster, once a home of the monarchy. Like the monarchy, Parliament is an ancient institution, dating from the middle of the thirteenth century. Parliament is the seat of British democracy, but it is perhaps valuable to remember that while the House of Lords was created in order to provide a council of the nobility for the king, the Commons were summoned originally in order to provide the king with money.

B. The reigning monarch is not only head of state but symbol of the unity of the nation. The monarchy is Britain’s oldest secular institution, its continuity for over a thousand years broken only once by a republic that lasted a mere eleven years (1649-60). The monarchy is hereditary, the succession passing automatically to the oldest male child, or in the absence of males to the oldest female offspring of the monarch. In law the monarch is head of the executive and of the judiciary, head of the Church of England, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

C. The dynamic power of Parliament lies in its lower chamber. Of its 650 members, 523 represent constituencies in England, 38 in Wales, 72 in Scotland and 17 in Northern Ireland. There are only seats in the Commons debating chamber for 370 members, but except on matters of great interest, it is unusual for all members to be present at any one time. Many MPs find themselves in other rooms of the Commons, participating in a variety of committees and meetings necessary for an effective parliamentary process.

D. Britain is a democracy, yet its people are not, as one might expect in a democracy, constitutionally in control of the state. The constitutional situation is an apparently contradictory one. As a result of a historical process the people of Britain are subjects of the Crown, accepting the Queen as the head of the state. Yet even the Queen is not sovereign in any substantial sense since she receives her authority from Parliament, and is subject to its direction in almost all matters. This curious situation came about as a result of a long struggle for power between the Crown and Parliament during the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries.

E. Her Majesty’s Government governs in the name of the Queen, and its hub, Downing Street, lies in Whitehall, a short walk from Parliament. Following a general election, the Queen invites the leader of the majority party represented in the Commons, to form a government on her behalf. Government ministers are invariably members of the House of Commons, but infrequently members of the House of Lords are appointed. All government members continue to represent “constituencies” which elected them.

F. Each parliamentary session begins with the “State Opening of Parliament”, a ceremonial occasion in which the Queen proceeds from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster where she delivers the Queen’s Speech from her throne in the House of Lords. Her speech is drafted by her government, and describes what the government intends to implement during the forthcoming session. Leading members of the Commons may hear the speech from the far end of the chamber, but are not allowed to enter the House of Lords.

G. The upper chamber of Parliament is not democratic in any sense at all. It consists of four categories of peer. The majority are hereditary peers, a total of almost 800, but of whom only about half take an active interest in the affairs of the state. A smaller number, between 350 and 400, are “life” peers – an idea introduced in 1958 to elevate to the peerage certain people who rendered political or public service to the nation. The purpose was not only to honour but also to enhance the quality of business done in the Lords.

1.Training the mind 5. Too fast

2. Welsh roots 6. Losing control

3.Quick reaction 7. Unexpected prize

4.Chemistry in tennis 8. Ads with wings

A .By now Wimbledon has become a popular national festival, together with Ascot and the Cup Final. Many people in Britain don’t know that tennis was first played in Wales. It was there, in 1873, that Major Walter Wingfield played a game with the recently invented rubber balls and enjoyed it so much, that he decided to develop the standards of the game. He published the first book of tennis rules later that year. The first Wimbledon championship was held a few years later in 1877 and the British Lawn Tennis Association formed in 1888.

B .Good mental preparation is necessary for professional tennis players. In a long match they can be on the court for several hours with nobody to talk to. There can be hundreds of stops from the crowd, their opponent and, especially at Wimbledon, the rain. Players need to practice methods for improving their concentration and for motivating themselves when the game is going against them. They are often taught to imagine some situations, such as a tense tie-break. Then they imagine what to do with it.

C.Many players find it impossible to stay calm in the stressful situation of a long tennis match and let their temper out. John McEnroe was famous for his quarrels with referees. Several players have been given warnings for throwing the racket or swearing. Some players lose matches they could easily win because their mind lets them down. Pat Rafter said that he couldn’t breathe in his 2000 Wimbledon final. The stress of being near the victory can be too much for a person.

D.The power of today’s tennis game is only partly created by the athletes themselves. Much of it comes from their rackets. New designs mean players can hit the ball with more speed and accuracy than ever before. It started in the 1970s when the traditional wooden racket was replaced with metal. Since then different materials have been used. Graphite has made the biggest influence. Now the graphite can be mixed with materials such as boron and titanium to produce even stronger, and lighter, rackets.

E.Speed isn’t always a good thing. Many fans are complaining that the speed of the game is making tennis boring to watch. After two years of testing, a new ball has now been invented which could slow down tennis and make it more exciting to watch. The ball is put together in exactly the same way as the one used now, but is 6% larger in diameter. The bigger ball gives the receiver 10% more reaction time in which to return the serve. So the number of aces — serves in a match that the receiver fails to return — will be far fewer.

F.When Irishman John Boland travelled to Athens for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, he had no idea he would return home with the gold medal in tennis. But then, he had no idea he would compete either — he went to watch the competion. In comparison, today’s Olympic tennis players include some of the best athletes in the world. They are used to five-star hotels and hundreds of thousands of dollars, but at the Olympic Games they will stay in the Olympic Village and compete for nothing but a gold medal.

G. The Wimbledon tennis tournament is famous for pigeons that sometimes come flying on to Centre Court and stop the game. So, producers of a video tennis game designed for PlayStation2 decided to use specially trained homing pigeons, decorated with the game’s logo. Twenty birds will be spray-painted with the Virtual Tennis logo and trained to fly in and out of the home of British tennis during the matches of the Wimbledon championship. The advertising pigeons will go straight for the fans and show their logos to them.

1. Education 5. Places to stay in

2. Way of life 6. Favorite food

3. Public transport 7. Hot spots for kids

4. Geography 8. Nightlife

A.Denmark, a small kingdom in northern Europe, has a lot of interesting places for tourists with children. For example, Legoland, a theme park, has become the largest tourist attraction in Denmark outside its capital Copenhagen. And Copenhagen itself is world famous for its Tivoli Gardens amusement park, which opened in 1843 in the heart of the city. The park offers ballet and circus performances, restaurants, concerts, and fireworks displays.

B.Denmark is the smallest Scandinavian country, consisting of the Jutland peninsula, north of Germany, and over 400 islands of various sizes, some inhabited and linked to the mainland by ferry or bridge. Throughout the country, low hills provide a constant change of attractive views; there are also cool and shady forests of beech trees, large areas of open land covered with rough grass, a beautiful lake district, sand dunes and white cliffs on the coast.

C.More than four-fifths of all Danes live in towns. The main cities represent a combination of medieval buildings, such as castles and cathedrals, and modern office buildings and homes. Denmark’s high standard of living and wide-ranging social services guarantee that the cities have no poor districts. Most people in the cities live in flats. But in the suburbs many also live in single-family houses.

D.Denmark’s fine beaches attract many visitors, and there are hotels and pensions in all major seaside resorts. Besides, excellent inns are to be found all over the country. Some are small and only serve local travellers, but others are adapted to the tourist and have established reputations for both international dishes and local specialities. There are also private rooms to let, usually for one night, and chalets all over Denmark.

E.There is a wide selection of places to go out in the evening, particularly in Copenhagen. Jazz and dance clubs in the capital city are top quality and world-famous performers appear regularly. There are numerous cafes, beer gardens and speciality beer bars. Entertainment available includes opera at the recently opened opera house in Copenhagen, ballet and theatre at a number of places in the larger cities, and live music of all kinds.

F.Most Danes eat four meals a day — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late-evening supper. Breakfast generally consists of cereal, cheese, or eggs. Dinner, which includes fish or meat, is usually the only hot meal. A traditional Danish dinner consists of roast duckling stuffed with apples, served with red cabbage and boiled potatoes. The other Danish meals consist mostly of sandwiches.

G.Almost all adult Danes can read and write. Danish law requires children to attend nine years of school. Primary school consists of the first seven grades, and secondary school lasts from three to five years. A five-year secondary school student can enter a university. Denmark has three universities. The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest. It was founded in 1479 and has about 24,000 students.

1. A long way to popularity 5. Brilliant ideas and brave deeds

2. Revolutionary materials 6. It had its finest hour

3. Borrowed ideas 7. Extraordinary combinations

4. A stairway to heaven 8. Ideas on sale

A.Born in 1743, Thomas Jefferson helped shape the new American nation and also shaped some of the country's most famous buildings. The twentieth century architects who designed the circular Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. drew inspiration from Thomas Jefferson's architectural ideas. And from where did Jefferson get his ideas? The Pantheon in Rome! This building with its classical portico became a model that influenced Western architecture for 2,000 years.

B.Postmodern architecture evolved from the modernist movement, yet contradicts many of the modernist ideas. Combining new ideas with traditional forms, postmodernist buildings may startle, surprise, and even amuse. Familiar shapes and details are used in unexpected ways. Philip Johnson's AT&T Headquarters is often cited as an example of postmodernism. Like many buildings in the international style, this skyscraper has a classical facade.

C.The Industrial Revolution in Europe brought about a new trend: the use of metals instead of wood and stone in construction. Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower is perhaps the most famous example of this new use for metal. For 40 years, the Eiffel Tower measured the tallest in the world. The metal latticework, formed with very pure structural iron, makes the tower both extremely light and able to withstand tremendous wind forces.

D.By the early 1800s, Belfast had become a major port at the beating heart of the region's industry. The launching of the Titanic from the ship ways was attended by an estimated 100,000 people, showing how important this event was for Belfast. Many more impressive ships would leave the yard in the coming years before the decline of the shipbuilding industry began in the 1950s, but the Titanic marked the zenith of the great shipbuilding era in Belfast.

E.Thomas Andrews was the chief naval architect at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast during the early 1900s. He brought the idea of 'Olympic class' ocean liners to life. The most famous of these was Titanic, which he joined on its first voyage. His actions when the ship sank on 15 April 1912 are believed to have saved many lives, but at the cost of his own. In his home town of Comber, the life of Thomas Andrews is commemorated by the Memorial Hall, opened in 1915.

F.An e-book or "electronic book" is available digitally downloaded, and accessed through a device such as a computer, a smart phone or, popularly, a portable e-book reader. In 1971, Michael Hart began storing vast contents of libraries in electronic formats. Hart named his efforts Project Gutenberg, after the inventor of the printing press. Libraries were early adopters of the technology. But it took nearly thirty years for the idea of the e-book to take firm hold with the consumer.

G.The Frankfurt Book Fair is held in October of each year. It usually hosts more than 7,300 exhibitors from 100 countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe. For the American book publishing industry, the Frankfurt Book Fair is predominantly a trade fair, that is, a professional meeting place for publishers, editors, librarians, book subsidiary rights managers, booksellers, film producers, authors and many others who are involved in the creation and licensing of book content.

.1. New rules to follow 5. A visit to the Zoo

2. New perspectives 6. Perfect for an active holiday

3. Perfect for a quiet holiday 7. Difficult start

4. Land of nature wonders 8. Bad for animals

A.The mountains of Scotland (we call them the Highlands) are а wild and beautiful part of Europe. A golden eagle flies over the mountains. A deer walks through the silence of the forest. Salmon and trout swim in the clean, pure water of the rivers. Some say that not only fish swim in the deep water of Loch Ness. Speak to the people living by the Loch. Each person has a story of the monster, and some have photographs.

B. Tresco is a beautiful island with no cars, crowds or noise – just flowers, birds, long sandy beaches and the Tresco Abbey Garden. John and Wendy Pyatt welcome you to the Island Hotel, famous for delicious food, comfort and brilliant service. You will appreciate superb accommodation, free saunas and the indoor swimming pool.

C. The Camel and Wildlife Safari is a unique mixture of the traditional and modern. Kenya’s countryside suits the Safari purposes exceptionally well. Tourists will have a chance to explore the bush country near Samburu, to travel on a camel back or to sleep out under the stars. Modern safari vehicles are always available for those who prefer comfort.

D. Arrival can be the hardest part of a trip. It is late, you are road-weary, and everything is new and strange. You need an affordable place to sleep, something to eat and drink, and probably a way to get around. But in general, it’s a wonderful trip, full of wonderful and unusual places. Whether it is the first stop on a trip or the fifth city visited, every traveller feels a little overwhelmed stepping onto a new street in a new city.

E. No zoo has enough money to provide basic habitats or environments for all the species they keep. Most animals are put in a totally artificial environment, isolated from everything they would meet in their natural habitat. Many will agree that this isolation is harmful to the most of zoo inhabitants, it can even amount to cruelty.

F. A new London Zoo Project is a ten year project to secure the future for the Zoo and for many endangered animals. The plan has been devised by both animal and business experts to provide world-leading accommodation for all our animals, to more fully engage and inform people about conservation issues, to redesign certain aspects of Zoo layout.

G. Leave-no-trace camping is an increasingly popular approach to travel in wilderness areas. As the term suggests, the goal is for the camper to leave as little impact as possible on the place he is visiting. One of its mottos is “Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints.” Its simplest and most fundamental rule is: pack it in, pack it out, but it goes beyond that.

1. Old word – new meaning 5. For travellers’ need

2. Not for profit 6. For body and mind

3. Generosity to taste 7. Under lock and key

4. New word – old service 8. Cheap yet safe

A. The residents of the southern United States are particularly warm to visitors, ready to welcome them to their homes and to the South in general. Food places an important role in the traditions of southern hospitality. A cake or other delicacy is often brought to the door of a new neighbor as a means of introduction. When a serious illness occurs, neighbors, friends, and church members generally bring food to that family as a form of support and encouragement.

B. Destination spas exist for those who only can take a short term trip, but still want to develop healthy habits. Guests reside and participate in the program at a destination spa instead of just visiting it for a treatment or pure vacation. Typically over a seven-day stay, such facilities provide a program that includes spa services, physical fitness activities, wellness education, healthy cuisine and special interest programming.

C. When people travel, stay in a hotel, eat out, or go to the movies, they rarely think that they are experiencing many-sided, vast and very diverse hospitality industry. The tourism industry is very challenging for those who work there, as they should be able to meet a wide variety of needs and to be flexible enough to anticipate them. The right person to help us feel at home likes working with the public, and enjoys solving puzzles.

D. Ten years ago, with the help of friends and family, Veit Kühne founded Hospitality Club as a general-purpose Internet-based hospitality exchange organization. Now, it is one of the largest hospitality networks with members in 226 countries. This is a completely free organization, which involves no money. The core activity is the exchange of accommodation, when hosts offer their guests the possibility to stay free at their homes.

E. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, hospitality was a divine right. The host was expected to make sure the needs of his guests were seen to. In the contemporary West, hospitality is rarely associated with generously provided care and kindness to whoever is in need or strangers. Now it is only a service that includes hotels, casinos, and resorts, which offer comfort and guidance to strangers, but only as part of a business relationship.

F. A bed and breakfast is a type of overnight accommodation with breakfast offered in someone's private home. This type of service was established in Europe many years ago and its roots lie a long way back in history when monasteries provided bed and breakfasts for travelers. But the term appeared in the UK only after World War II, when numerous foreigners needed a place to stay and local people opened their homes and started serving breakfast to those overnight guests.

G. Hostels are nothing more than budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. But somehow there are misconceptions that a hostel is a kind of homeless shelter, a dangerous place where young people can face potential threat. This does not reflect the high quality and level of professionalism in many modern hostels.

1. With care for the environment 5. Name to remember

2. A favorable location 6. Getting around the town

3. Medicine from birds 7. A historical building

4. Annual events 8. A green town

A. Cheltenham started as a small market town that later became one of the most fashionable health resorts in Britain. Once, in 1716 people noticed pigeons eating crystals in a meadow outside the town. These were crystals of salt which helped King George III and the members of the royal family treat their illnesses. Since then, pigeons have been a symbol of Cheltenham Spa.

B. Cheltenham is a small, ancient town in England situated to the north-west of Oxford. It lies below the highest point of the Cotswold Hills and above the level of the River Severn. The town is also called «The Western Gateway». Thanks to its position it has become a popular tourist attraction.

C. The Pittville Pump Room is the largest of the spa constructions in Cheltenham. It is a magnificent, old house of classical style made of white stone. The Pump Room was designed for balls and entertainments and, of course, for taking the medicinal waters. Today, it is still used as a concert hall at festival time and for weddings, and of course, visitors can still take the waters – if they so wish!

D. Tourism is highly developed in Cheltenham and the City Council has to reduce the negative impact of tourists on the town. A lot has been done. The town has developed walking, cycling and public transport routes as an alternative to cars. There is a pool of bicycles that tourists can use for short distance journeys. The local services try to recycle all the packaging, plastic bottles and batteries left by tourists.

E. Many famous people of the past have connections with Cheltenham. Gustav Holst, a well-known English composer of the 19th century, was born in the town. His house is now his birthplace museum. Visitors may learn a lot about Holst's life, his music and his family. The famous Antarctic explorer Edward Wilson was also born in Cheltenham. Now a statue of him stands in the Long Gardens.

F. The beauty and wonderful sights of Cheltenham continue to attract visitors from countries all over the world. For many years people have enjoyed the beauty of Cheltenham's parks, open spaces and the general greenery of the town. Cheltenham has been described as ‘a town within a park’. Montpellier place, which is famous for its wonderful flowers, lies in the centre of the town.

G. Thousands of visitors come to Cheltenham to take part in the festivals which are held in the town every year. The town organises literature, music, jazz and science festivals, attracting names with a national and international reputation from each field. Besides all this, for a week in March the town becomes the centre of the National Gold Cup in horse racing

1. A change in people’s attitude 5. No time to waste

2. A problem still unsolved 6. An eco-friendly means of transport

3. A new state organization 7. A set of dangerous signs

4. A governmental plan of action 8. A reason for global warming

A. Recycling is becoming easier and more widespread. Governments support companies that recycle waste. Also people prefer to buy things from companies that make their products from recycled materials. Reports say that people worldwide are starting to care more about what happens to waste products. For example, now Americans recycle almost 35% of their waste, while in the 1990s the percentage was much smaller.

B. In autumn 2004 a new governmental body was created in Russia to protect the country’s natural resources. It’s called the Federal Ecological Service. The aims of the new institution are the following: to prevent environmental pollution and to control industrial waste. They say that the new governmental service has improved the state system of environmental protection in Russia.

C. Climate change is on us. Ten years ago we only spoke about it, now it’s happening before our eyes. Global warming is bringing unpredictable changes. The Arctic sea ice is disappearing; glaciers are melting faster every year. Due to heavy rains some rivers overflow, while others dry out. Disasters such as tornadoes and floods are spreading. Strong hurricanes are becoming more common and more destructive.

D. People burn plenty of coal, oil and natural gas. As a result of this billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) are released into the atmosphere every year. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that traps the sun's radiation within the atmosphere so the concentration of CO2 increases. As a result of this, temperatures in different parts of the planet rise.

E. They are designed to work using electric power, without gasoline. It means that they don’t pollute the atmosphere, cost less and reduce the need for oil. Such cars are reliable and have interesting designs. However, they have a few bad points. Many have a maximum speed limit of about 50 miles per hour. Most cities are not ready for the appearance of such cars on their roads.

F. Environmental organizations have been discussing ways of saving the rain forests for many years. However, we are still facing huge losses in the Amazon. People think that rainforests have already had enough attention. They have been discussed in the press for years. Unfortunately the rainforest is still in danger and can be destroyed completely.

G. Environmental problems are serious and we have to deal with them immediately. There may not be easy solutions but we simply can’t continue living as if everything is fine. These problems aren’t going to disappear by themselves. If we want to keep this planet a healthy place for our grandchildren, it’s time to do everything we can to stop the catastrophe.

1. A widely used aroma 5. Another unique characteristic

2. Makes meals different 6. Holiday scents

3. A relaxing effect 7. Creating memories

4. Scents and colours 8. Smelling emotions

A. Nothing brings back memories like a particular smell. Whether it's of Christmas pine, your grandma's fresh-baked gingerbread, or cookies, the scents of Christmas are truly special. In the days leading up to this day, the house fills with the wonderful rich, spicy smells of vanilla, cinnamon and ginger coming from the kitchen, promising delights to come.

B. Some of the most pleasant scents after a hard day are vanilla, lavender, and scents with cinnamon or ginger. Each combination of aromas can influence you positively. For example, vanilla's sweet scent can help you if you feel sad, lonely, or depressed. It is a naturally warming aroma. Cinnamon is good in case you feel tired; it also has a wonderful effect on your nerves, calming you down.

C. The ability to smell is linked to our ability to remember things. When you first smell a new thing, you connect it to an event, a person, or even a moment. As a result, later the smell of cookies might remind you of spending time at your grandmother's house when you were a small child. When you come across the smell a second or third time, the link is already there, ready to bring out a certain mood.

D. There are certain smells we can identify from a mile away – almost as if they're preprogrammed into our minds. One of them is vanilla. Today, vanilla is in our coffee, perfumes, tea, home products, body lotion, and everywhere! Both the scent and taste of vanilla are very strong and long-lasting. It is considered one of the most popular scents and flavours in the world.

E. A new study suggests that we can smell not only aromas but feelings as well – fear, happiness, disgust and joy. The experiments proved that we can find out how a person feels even if we neither see nor hear him. Nerves inside our nose take informative messages about the person and his emotional state to the brain. However, the mechanism of how this happens is not yet clear.

F. Our sense of smell does 80% of the job when we taste various foods. Without a sense of smell you can’t taste the difference between an apple and a potato or a glass of juice and a cup of cold coffee. This is why, when our nose is blocked by a cold, most foods seem tasteless. Our sense of smell becomes stronger when we are hungry.

G. There are many good reasons to believe that we all have our own particular smell. Research has proved that our smell might distinguish us from others just as our face does. Our smell is as personal as our fingerprints. For centuries the police have used this phenomenon to catch criminals. Maybe one day they will use our scent too.

1. Street performers 5. Cooking competition

2. Eating together 6. Cheese rolling

3. Important for the whole country 7. In memory of the past events

4. Lifting weights 8. A cookery sprint

A. A woolsack race is one of the British local festivals that could be called strange. It started in Tetbury, a wool town, in the 17th century when young men wanted to demonstrate their physical strength. Since then, every spring men and women compete in teams to carry heavy woolsacks up and down the hill. The race events are complemented by a funfair and musical entertainments.

B. Midsummer is the time for the Cheese Rolling Ceremony in many places. Competitors gather at the top of a hill. The Master of the Ceremonies lets a heavy head of cheese roll down the hill. Brave runners race down to be the first to catch it. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled in 2010 due to safety issues.

C. Another cheese ceremony is popular in the village of Randwick. On the first Sunday in May people roll three cheeses from right to left around the church. After rolling, the villagers cut up and share one of the cheeses. They believe that eating cheese brings health to their families.

D. The village of Marshfield, England, is famous for its Paperboys procession. People dressed in paper costumes go through the streets. They start from the market place and perform the town’s unique character play along the road. By noon they have done more than six performances for several hundred people.

E. Every January Up Helly Aa is celebrated in Scotland. People dressed in Viking costumes and helmets go through the streets of Lerwick. They hold flaming torches, sticks with special material on the top which burns in order to give light. The strongest participants carry a full size model of a Viking ship to an open field. There the people throw lit torches into the ship and burn it.

F. Melbourne Cup Day is held in Australia, in November. Although Cup Day is a public holiday only in the city of Melbourne, the rest of the country refuses to be left out of the event. People gather around televisions and computers, whether at work, at home, or wherever they are, just to watch this world famous horse race. This event is often called ‘the race that stops the nation’.

G. In a village in Eastern England, an unusual race takes place every year. Three groups take part in the race – adults, children (under 11s) and teenagers. Each participant receives a frying pan with a pancake and has to race from one end of a field to the other, throwing the pancake into the air and catching it in the frying pan without dropping it. The winner is the first to cross the line.

1. A talisman for luck 5. A country profile

2. The wildlife of the country 6. A false stereotype

3. The modern side of the country 7. Opportunities for different sports

4. Useful in many ways 8. The national sporting event

A. Thanks to television and films, Scotland is often seen by the rest of the world as a magical country, a land of misty mountains and the home of a lake creature called Nessie. This is the image most people have in mind. The truth, however, is completely different from the way the world thinks of Scotland. You may be surprised to find out that most Scots live in the lowlands and don’t believe in Nessie.

B. Scotland is much more than green hills and picturesque valleys. It’s dynamic and cosmopolitan, with a colourful history of invention and innovation. It’s the home of big businesses and a centre of new medical and scientific development. Each year, it hosts the world's biggest contemporary arts festivals. Scotland is an exciting place to live in, particularly for a young person.

C. Scottish heather, a small bush with flowers, is the floral symbol of the country. The colour of the flowers usually varies from purple to lilac, but they can also be white. In the past, the Scots believed that they would never be captured by enemies and would win victories if they wore white heather. Today, when getting married, girls add white heather to bouquets to bring fortune to their family.

D. Heather has grown in Scotland as far back as its history goes. This has turned it into a kind of household good. Heather honey is rich in minerals, and was traditionally used in medicinal drinks. Thousands of years ago, dried heather was used to make perfumes, and the tough stems were used to make ropes. On many of the northern Scottish islands, heather played a major role in the construction of houses.

E. Scotland is an excellent destination for open-air activities all year round. Its lakes and coastline are ideal for boating and rowing and have some of the best sea-kayaking in the world. The rivers are perfect for fishing and the mountains are wonderful for hill climbing and skiing. Scotland is also good for walkers. You can enjoy easy family walks or more difficult mountain hikes.

F. The Highland Games in Scotland date from long before Scotland’s written history. The various athletics allowed men to demonstrate their physical power and the skills needed for battle and survival. The Games today still include the athletic competitions in their original form together with dancing contests. All the competitors wear kilts. Traditional bagpipe music accompanies all the events.

G. Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Edinburgh, the country's capital and second largest city, is one of Europe's financial centres. The population of the country is a little over 5 million people. The currency is the pound sterling although the Bank of Scotland issues its own notes and coins.

1. The history of the name 5. Pumpkin recipes

2. Pumpkin: brief facts 6. Pumpkin’s magical popularity

3. Cooking with pumpkin 7. Growing a pumpkin

4. The autumn celebrity fruit 8. Pumpkin in the learning process

A. The pumpkin is a large round fruit with a thick orange skin and large seeds. Pumpkins are 90% water but they contain potassium and vitamin A. Six of seven continents can grow pumpkins. Pumpkins symbolize the colours and the spirit of the autumn. Lots of movies were made with pumpkin and Halloween themes.

B. It's believed that pumpkins come from North America. Native American Indians ate pumpkins for centuries before the Europeans discovered the fruit. In European languages the word ''pumpkin'' originated from the Greek word for "large melon" which is "pepon." "Pepon" was changed by the French into "pompon." The English changed "pompon" to "pumpion."

C. In the United States, pumpkins go hand in hand with the autumn holidays of Thanksgiving and Halloween. On almost every Thanksgiving table there is the customary Pumpkin Pie. Pumpkins are carved into decorated lanterns for Halloween. The pumpkin is also one of the important symbols of the harvest festivals and has been an American favourite for over 400 years now.

D. In the USA, the pumpkin is a very popular Thanksgiving dish. We don't know for sure whether the pumpkin was at the very first Thanksgiving dinner but it was used in all traditional meals long before the arrival of the Europeans. Most parts of the pumpkin are suitable for eating, including the shell, the seeds, the leaves, and even the flowers. When ripe, the pumpkin can be boiled, baked, steamed or roasted.

E. The pumpkin is a warm-season fruit. If you want to have a nice pumpkin for Halloween, plant the seeds from late May in northern regions to early July in southern regions. Pumpkins can be harvested whenever they are a deep, solid colour (orange for most varieties) and the coat is hard. Cut off pumpkins carefully and leave 3 to 4 inches of stem attached.

F. The pumpkin is a real October icon – the fruit of the month. It's also popular as an available, inexpensive material for some wonderful classroom activities! Its size, colour, smell and taste make it perfect for observation and exploration. Working in groups students can search, suggest, predict and estimate the number of seeds in a set of pumpkins.

G. For centuries the pumpkin has been popular with wizards, witches and fairies. Maybe that’s why it is celebrated in so many festivals, folklore and fiction. People make jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween in the USA. In European and American fairy-tales witches often turn people into pumpkins. Even in modern the Harry Potter novels pumpkin juice is the favourite drink of the students of Hogwart’s school

1. Gastronomic delights 5. At the age of the world

2. The fate of the indigenous people 6. Main industries

3. Dead or alive? 7. The best time to visit

4. Fauna and wildlife 8. Climate and weather

A. Most Europeans consider Australia the most mysterious and dangerous continent. It is in the Southern hemisphere and everything is upside down there. Moreover, Australia is awfully far away and it looks like an isolated world. But there is a place that feels even further. It’s the Isle of Tasmania which is 240 km to the south of the Australian mainland. It used to be part of the continent but was separated from it about 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last glacial period.

B. The soils of the island are not rich and the Tasmanians have to do their best to grow their crops there. The place however is good for growing sheep. Apart from agriculture, Tasmanians have always been involved in mining, forestry, and tourism. The island is rich in copper, zinc, tin, iron and other raw materials. In spite of all the human activity, it is still densely forested, and the wood is one of their export products as well as seafood and different agricultural products. Despite the remoteness, Tasmania is a popular tourist destination and the tourism and hospitality sector gives jobs to many people there.

C. Tourist agencies define December and January as high season on Tasmania. It is summer time in the Southern Hemisphere and the weather is comfortable for exploring the island. Though the average maximum daily summer temperatures are between 17 and 23 degrees Celsius, the beaches attract holidaymakers too. The summer is also a time of different festivals and there are crowds at most popular destinations. To avoid disappointment it is highly recommended to book tickets and hotels well in advance.

D. Tasmania is the southernmost state and its cool climate is good for growing crops and producing all sorts of fine foods. It is sometimes called Apple Isle as apples were the first crops cultivated by European settlers. But there is much more there now than apples! Various kinds of classic cheese are made on the island – with garlic, chilli, and with aromatic notes of the local pine wood. Another thing any tourist should try is the local honey which has a wide range of tastes due to the great range of flowers growing there.

E.The diversity of Tasmania's vegetation is really remarkable! Apart from a great variety of wild flowers, you will find there some of the most ancient plant species on Earth, the tallest flowering trees, and the oldest trees. In the woods the tourists have a good chance to encounter the most exotic animals like wombats, pademelons and even Tasmanian devils. The Tasmanian devil looks like a small black fierce dog. Unlike a dog, it can run very fast, swims across the rivers, and easily climbs trees!

F. It is not the Tasmanian devil, however, that is the scariest legend of the island, but the Tasmanian tiger. The animal looks like a large dog, with a long tail like rats have, with black stripes like tigers have, with a pouch (a pocket on the belly like kangaroos have) and with very powerful long jaws that are as scary as crocodiles’. When the Europeans settled in Tasmania, this mystical animal hunted their sheep and the people hunted the tiger. The Tasmanian tiger was declared extinct in the first half of the 20th century. But there are locals and researchers who are sure that the animal still exists and is hiding in the thick forest. They have not given up searching for it.

G. Sadly, it is not only animals who didn’t manage to survive the colonization of the island by the Europeans. The archaeological evidence proves that the aboriginal people lived on the territory of Tasmania as early as 40,000 years ago. The first Europeans only arrived there in the 17th century and that led to tension and violent fighting between the colonists and the aborigines. Most natives were killed and those who survived were exiled to Flinders Island. Without any immunity to the local infections, the very last aborigines soon died too.

1. Coffee in the New World 5. An illegal drink

2. The original taste of coffee 6. A long journey to Europe

3. A chance discovery 7. Growing coffee plants

4. A place for communication 8. Different recipes

A. Coffee was first found in Eastern Africa in the area we know today as Ethiopia. A popular legend says that one day a man called Kaldi was watching his goats eating grass and leaves. He noticed that after eating berries from a certain bush the goats became very active. Curious, Kaldi tried the berries himself. He found that these berries gave him additional energy. The story quickly spread throughout the region.

B. The first coffee berries were transported from Ethiopia to Arabian countries and then they were cultivated in Yemen. From there, coffee travelled to Turkey where coffee beans were roasted for the first time over open fires. The roasted beans were crushed and then boiled in water, creating the drink we enjoy today. Finally, in the seventeenth century coffee arrived in France, Britain and Italy.

C. The first coffeehouses opened in Mecca and quickly became popular centres of social and political activity. The government believed that coffee stimulated radical thinking, and the governor even thought it might unite his opposition. As a result, coffee was forbidden in Mecca. The same thing happened in Turkey a century later, when coffee drinkers were severely punished.

D. They say, in 1776 the thirteen American colonies adopted coffee as their national drink instead of tea. When the British tried to raise the tax on tea, Americans refused to buy it and switched to coffee. In fact, by drinking coffee Americans demonstrated their political views and their dislike for the British – the famous tea-lovers.

E. The Italians drink their espresso with sugar, the Germans and Swiss add an equal part of hot chocolate, the Mexicans prefer it with cinnamon, and the Belgians – with chocolate. Coffee drinkers in the Middle East usually add cardamom and spices. The Egyptians, on the other hand, are extremely fond of pure, strong coffee. They add neither milk nor cream.

F. Plain and simple, nothing else. People discovered that if they drank coffee slowly they could taste bitterness, sourness, sweetness and saltiness. For a long time such a taste was new and more than enough. It needed no improvement. Only later did they start experimenting with coffee by adding milk, chocolate, and other flavors. However, nothing can hide the taste of real coffee.

G. When the first European coffeehouses opened, they quickly grew into places where people played chess, exchanged gossip, sang and danced. Coffeehouses were very popular because anyone could go and enjoy a cup of the drink. The price of a cup of coffee was reasonable. European coffee houses became meeting points for intellectuals, writers and businessmen.

1. My accommodation in Rome 5. Plans for next summer

2. New friends 6. Language experience

3. Getting the job 7. The top tourist attraction

4. The working day 8. General impressions of the country

A.I've just returned from Italy, and it was the most beautiful working holiday anyone could dream of. Yes, I saw the Colosseum with my own eyes! It was built in the first century AD — the amphitheatre could house as many as 50,000 people. It's difficult to imagine the gladiators fighting there and the public watching the cruel show. There were also fights with lions. Fortunately, there are no lions in the Colosseum now — only cats. And there are a lot of them!

B.The Colosseum was the first thing I wanted to see in Rome, but not the only one that impressed me. I used my camera a lot — Italy is a country with a great cultural heritage. Apart from the views, Italy is a country of delicious food — I've never eaten such gorgeous pizzas! I'd have certainly put on some weight if I hadn't had to walk such a lot — we were saving on transport because Italy is an expensive country.

C.It took us thirty-five minutes every morning to get from the hostel where we were staying to the pizzeria we were working. Our room was very small, it had a poor view, just the house opposite, but that wasn't a problem — we didn't spend much time there anyway. We had only the basics in our room — two beds, hangers for clothes, a little table and one chair. There was a laundry downstairs and a shared kitchen to prepare meals.

D.As for the kitchen, we didn't use it much — we ate at work! Our working day started at 9 am and lasted till 9 pm. We had a long siesta (a break between two and five in the afternoon) which we used for sightseeing in spite of the heat. And in the evening there were usually lots of customers and we had to be quick and attentive so as not to confuse their orders. We felt absolutely exhausted when we came home.

E.Anyway we felt privileged to have got the job. It was Anna, my best friend, who suggested working holidays in Italy. She found the vacancies and sent our CVs to the manager. At first I didn't know what to say as I wasn't sure I wanted to work in summer. But on the other hand, the idea of earning my own money and seeing Italy was very attractive.

F.I'm glad I agreed to Anna's suggestion — we enjoyed living in a new country and meeting new people. Italians are very sociable and easy-going. Our fellow workers showed us lots of interesting places and it was fun to explore the country together. Anna and I really hope that they'll come to Britain one day and we'll be able to show them our country too. We are going to keep in touch.

G.We didn't know Italian when we went there. Some people in the pizzeria spoke English and they helped us a lot. Two weeks later we were able to understand what the customers were asking us about and we spoke basic Italian to them. Italian is beautiful — I like how it sounds and it's not at all difficult. We plan to go on learning it in case we want to work in the pizzeria again.

1. Historical facts 5. An innovative method

2. Different reasons for drawing in the street 6. An unknown artist

3. A street art exhibition 7. The meaning of the term

4. A commercial effect 8. Keeping their names secret

A. Street art can be described as art that is developed in public spaces and above all in the street. It can mean a lot of different things including graffiti, poster art, wall paintings, and just about any artwork that is displayed in public places. Typically, street art is used to separate public-space artwork from illegal graffiti and vandalism.

B. The start of street art is closely connected to graffiti, which appeared in New York in the 1970s. The American artists soon became an inspiration for a number of other young street artists all over the world. For the following ten years graffiti grew more and more popular and was soon joined by new forms of street art including street installations, street sculptures and 3D pavement illusions.

C. Street artists are often associated with opposition. Their artwork is considered a crime and vandalism and the artists may be arrested for damaging property so the artists prefer to use nicknames and create their drawings mostly at night. They are not looking for fame, especially in countries where graffiti is still illegal.

D. Kurt Wenner was the one who developed an absolutely new form of street art. That is 3D pavement art. He started his career as a graphic artist but after moving to Italy he worked on a new technique. Wenner attracted the attention of the entire world with his remarkable 3D artwork and he also inspired a future generation of 3D pavement street artists.

E. Banksy is probably the most famous English street artist who has already become a legendary figure. It’s still true that no one knows who the person really is. However, his works are exhibited in galleries across the world. An American magazine even named him among the top most influential people in the world. However, he was the only one whose photo the magazine could not publish.

F. The motivations and ideas that inspire street artists are as different as the artists themselves. Some street artists, by creating certain works, want to draw attention to social and political problems. For other artists, street art is just a form of self-expression. And there are those who enjoy the challenge and risks which are connected with working illegally in some city areas.

G. Traditional graffiti has recently been used as a successful method for advertising. Lots of companies agree that traditional advertising on city streets is too boring and common so many people simply ignore it. However, graffiti adverts catch your attention, creating a memorable image. Big companies find this quite useful and try to include more elements of graffiti in their advertising campaigns.

1. Residents of the North Pole 5. Hunting strategies

2. Born to live in cold weather 6. Home upbringing for bears

3. Life is getting harder 7. Changes in population

4. Sometimes they are similar to us 8. Good food is important

A.Polar bears started to evolve from brown bears about 5 million years ago. Unlike bears living on land, they are white in colour and their fur is very thick. It helps them to survive on sea ice and swim in cold waters. Polar bears are really big — adult males normally weigh from 350 to 550 kg. Females are smaller. The bears’ large paws distribute their weight when they move on thin ice, and their tails are short to conserve heat.

B.Polar bears occupy one of the planet's coldest environments, the Arctic. They prefer northern areas like Canada, Greenland, Alaska, Russia and Norway. Scientists have identified 19 populations of polar bears spread across four different regions of the Arctic. Although many children’s books show polar bears and penguins together, the two are found at different poles.

C.These Arctic giants have no natural enemies. Their diet is based on seals. Other sources of food for polar bears are Arctic plants, and also geese, bird eggs and fish. They can eat a wide range of foods but only marine mammals, like seals and beluga whales, are able to provide them with all the necessary proteins and vitamins to survive in the icy environment.

D.Bears catch seals from ice platforms. They usually wait for seals near their breathing holes — the openings in the ice the seals use to breathe. In autumn, seals cut out breathing holes in the ice and keep them through the winter and polar bears locate the holes with their powerful sense of smell. Polar bears can also attack seals sleeping on the ice.

E.Polar bears spend lots of time hunting seals on sea ice or from large drifting blocks of ice. However, due to global warming sea ice is melting. As a result, bears have to hunt in the water, which is less successful and very risky. Polar bears are good swimmers but they cannot swim long distances and often drown. They don’t have enough food to gain enough fat and their newborn cubs are weaker than they used to be.

F.Normally, a female bear builds a den (a tunnel in the ice with two rooms) where she gives birth to two cubs. They are born very small, only about half a kilo, but they grow quickly on their mother’s rich milk. For about two years, cubs depend totally on their mothers for food and for survival skills — the mothers teach them how to hunt and survive in the harsh realities of life.

G.Native people, who have lived side by side with polar bears for centuries, say that in many ways bears are like humans. When they are not busy hunting, they play, mock fight or chase each other. Their nose-to-nose greeting usually means some request, for example, a request for food. Some scientists claim they have watched polar bears sharing their food and even performing some eating rituals like greeting their host and saying thank you after a meal.

1. The career decision 5. His favorite dishes

2. Rapid progress and a brilliant career 6. Innovations in management

3. A hard start 7. A man of many talents

4. The special guest 8. Masterpieces in the kitchen

A.An old man entered the restaurant. He looked very much like other people dining there — an elegant suit and noble manners. He could have been a banker or a businessman or even a senator. However, a brief whisper among the waiters indicated that this guest was even more special than the others. It was a great honour to have the grey-haired visitor who was called the king of chefs and the chef of kings.

B.The man was Auguste Escoffier. He spent his early years in a small village not far from Nice, went to school and dreamt about becoming a sculptor — he was very good at painting and making wooden and iron figures. However, his father thought that it wouldn't earn his son a living and at the age of thirteen Auguste was told that he would become a cook. The boy left home to take up an apprenticeship with his uncle, who owned a restaurant in Nice.

C.Auguste didn't mind his father's decision very much — he liked helping his grandmother in the kitchen. However, the restaurant kitchen was very different from his grandmother's. It was a small room, unbearably hot and stuffy. Lots of dishes were being fried, boiled or stewed at the same time. The people were sweating and swearing and the standards of hygiene were very low, if there were any at all. The cooks were rude to their assistants and punished them for any mistakes.

D.Escoffier, however, didn't give up and he was quickly rewarded for his hard Work. At the age of nineteen he was offered a job in a highly reputable Parisian restaurant. At the time of Franko-Prussian War Escoffier served in the army as a Chef and managed to prepare delicious dishes from very basic ingredients. When Escoffier returned to civil life, he became really famous and worked in the most fashionable restaurants of Paris, London and Monte Carlo.

E.Escoffier was in the culinary profession for more than sixty years. He wrote several culinary books that are still popular with chefs. In the books one can find detailed instructions on how to make a piece of art in the kitchen. He created lots of new salads, meat and fish dishes, sauces and desserts. One of Escoffier's most famous desserts is probably Peach Melba, a dish that he created specially for the opera singer Nellie Melba, who dined in his restaurant.

F.Escoffier made French Cuisine famous worldwide. Apart from creating new dishes he changed cooking techniques, the order of serving dishes and kitchen organization. Escoffier introduced the brigade system — each member was responsible for particular operations and the chef supervised the whole process. Escoffier's kitchens were spotlessly clean, his staff were efficient and polite, swearing and drinking was absolutely prohibited. He turned cooking into art.

G.As with any outstanding person, Auguste Escoffier was gifted in many other ways. The famous Sarah Bernhardt liked his paintings and reproached him for burying the talent of an artist. Cesar Ritz, the founder of the Hotel Ritz in Paris and London, highly valued Escoffier as a businessman. They had worked together in Baden-Baden, Paris, London and Monte Carlo.

1.Supporting sports 5. The drink ingredients

2.A remarkable container design 6. Good in any season

3.A universal medicine 7. A fan society

4.A smart symbol 8. The drink varieties

A.Coca Cola appeared in Atlanta, Georgia, 1886. Doctor John Pemberton made a special syrup, but he kept its components secret. He added some mineral water to it and took the new product to the chemist's. There the syrup was sold for five cents a glass. Pemberton told everyone that Coca-Cola cured many illnesses, including headaches, stomachaches, and nervous breakdowns.

B.Coca Cola was first sold in ordinary bottles. In 1915, the company held a competition to create a new bottle for their drink. They said it should be a bottle that would make Coca Cola different from all other drinks. Even today the shape of Coca Cola bottle is one of the most recognized packages on the planet..."even in the dark!".

C.The famous Coca Cola symbol was created by John Pem-berton's colleague, Mr. Robinson. He thought that two letters "C" would look great in advertising. Besides, the red and white colours were simple and effective. Red was energetic and bright and so would attract young people. As for the style, of writing, it was just popular in the United States during that period.

D.Before the 1930s, Coca Cola was only considered to be a drink for warm weather so the company started a campaign to remind people that Coca Cola was a great choice in any month. For this a talented artist drew pictures of a happy Santa Claus enjoying a drink of Coke. The pictures were published in magazines and made Cola even more popular.

E.Coca Cola was one of the first companies that invested money in public projects. For example, the company is proud to be an old and devoted partner of the Olympic Games. This connection began in 1928 with the Games in Amsterdam. Since then the company has sponsored lots of football, hockey, and basketball competitions.

F.The Coca Cola Collectors Club was formed in 1974 by a small group of people. Today it has become international with more than 5,000 people from 28 countries. Club members collect everything connected with Coca Cola: bottles, posters, newspaper articles, postcards — everything. They sometimes meet to exchange their treasures.

G.Today there are 16 special variants of the original Coca Cola recipe. Some have less sugar or no sugar at all. Such Coke is chosen by those who want to keep fit. Children may prefer a cherry or a vanilla flavour. The drink also changes from country to country, reflecting national preferences. For example, if you travel to France, you can try the unusual orange Coca Cola.

1. A new language was born 5. What comes to life-comes to the language

2. It's difficult to communicate across the centuries 6. The oldest English words are not at all English

3. English is a pass to the world community 7. Modern English has many faces

4. English was taught by armies and politicians 8. Who’ll be speaking English in the next century

A.The Celts, who lived on the current territory of Britain in 500BC — 43BC, are believed to be the first inhabitants of the British Isles. The Celtic vocabulary was almost wiped out but a few words, mainly the names of places, survived. The two most well-known British place names — London and the Thames — are of Celtic origin. The Romans, who invaded the Isles in 43BC, contributed to the language too. We still use some of their words, such as candle and wine.

B.However, most scholars believe that the history of the English language starts from the 5th or 6th century AD, when Germanic tribes — Angles, Saxons and Jutes started to arrive in the Isles. The settlers spoke a' Germanic language which is now called Old English. A considerable part of their vocabulary has survived up to now. We still use words like house, food, dog, night, think and sleep and lots of other basic words.

C.Though almost all of the words from the list of 100 most commonly used English words originate from Old English, the latter and Modern English differ from each other like two separate languages. Even for well-educated people, including most scholars and linguists, reading Old English texts in the original is a problem — the language has changed out of recognition over fifteen centuries.

D.It keeps changing nowadays too and the process is getting more and more rapid due to globalization and technological progress. The vocabulary is constantly acquiring new words like website and computer geek. The words transfer easily from one language to another. There's no need to translate Italian words like pizzeria and cappuccino or the Japanese sudoku and karaoke, is there? They are used just like the original word and don't sound at all foreign to the new generation.

E.It's difficult to believe that only about two million people used English a thousand years ago. However, the English actively and sometimes aggressively explored the world spreading their empire and their language around the globe. Due to colonization and overseas trade English became widely spoken in all continents and only Mandarin Chinese speakers outnumber English speakers.

F.English is most often taught as a foreign language and the reason is obvious: it's become the main language of international and cross-cultural communication — it is the language of science, business and politics. The vast majority of scientific articles, business reports and political documents are written in English though their authors do not necessarily live in English-speaking countries.

G.Spoken in different parts of the globe, English is certainly not the same everywhere. It may sound and be spelt differently; it may differ in vocabulary and grammar. The variants of English are called dialects and accents. There is British, American, Canadian and Australian English, Cockney and Geordie as well as many kinds of pidgin English. So called Standard English is far from Shakespeare's language too. It has been seriously standardised and simplified for international use

1. Easy to cook 5. Serving ideas

2. A healthy alternative 6. Created by chance

3. Coffee shop brownie 7. Health risks

4. What the dish is like 8. National dessert

A. Warm, freshly baked chocolate brownies are an American invention. Brownies are flat, and baked in a square or bar shape. They are neither cakes nor cookies, but somewhere in between. They can be eaten by hand if the brownies are dry and small. Or you can use a fork if your brownie is thick and moist. Anyway, there is no special etiquette, so there’s no need to care about your table manners!

B. Mystery and intrigue surround the birth of brownies. It is hard to reconstruct their true story as there are different legends about the creation of the famous dessert. Some people say that once a chef added melted chocolate to the biscuit dough by mistake. Others believe that a housewife just improvised to make a new dish. However, all these tales may be very far from the truth.

C. We all agree that brownies are yummy. And you do not have to be a professional cook to make them. All you need to do is to mix all the ingredients, pour the mixture into a pan and bake it for about half an hour. If you prefer softer brownies, cook for twenty minutes. Now, take them out of the oven and let them cool until slightly warm. Cut into squares. Enjoy the brownies with your tea, milk, or coffee!

D. Brownies look harmless, but they are not. They are high in calories, fat and sugar, and can have a negative impact on your overall health if you eat brownies on a regular basis. Eating too many of them may lead to putting on weight and cause your sugar level to rise. This may result in diabetes. Besides, too much sugar can also increase the chance of developing heart disease. Take care!

E. A regular brownie should be a special treat and not an everyday meal. The easiest way to avoid the brownies' harmful aspects is to redesign the recipe and use other ingredients. It is recommended to replace some or all of the oil in a traditional recipe with puréed fruit, such as bananas, apples or prunes, and reduce the amount of sugar and salt. Nuts or seeds can be added.

F. Brownies are probably the best-known American dessert. They're like puddings for the British and tiramisu for the Italians. Brownies represent a truly American experience. We say 'as American as apple pie', but some people think the saying should be 'as American as a brownie'. And, each year on December 8, brownie lovers across the nation celebrate Brownie Day.

G. Traditional rich, dark, chocolaty brownies are loved by everyone. If you want to surprise your guests use some ingredients to decorate the finished product with style. Whipped cream, fruit and nuts work really well. A scoop of ice cream and some warm chocolate sauce also make your brownies irresistible. Then, take a fresh mint leaf and add it to your plate. This final touch adds style and flavour.

1. Popular snack invention 5. Events in honor of the vegetable

2. Getting round the world 6. Vegetable language

3. A new favourite in the East 7. Recipes to cook the vegetable

4. Travelling outside the Earth 8. New and frightening

A. From Spain, potatoes spread to all parts of Europe. Spanish ships carried the vegetable to Italy in around 1560, making that country the first after Spain to eat potatoes. A bit later, the potato reached Austria and France, England and Germany, Portugal and Ireland. The potato was introduced to India, possibly as early as 1615, and then reached the most remote parts of China. In 1792 Captain William Bligh planted the first potatoes in Australia.

B. It is not unusual for new foods to be met with skepticism and fear, especially those arriving from a faraway continent. The potato, however, had a harder battle for acceptance than many other vegetables from the Americas. People didn’t like its unusual, ugly appearance and originally bitter taste. Besides, the potato was not mentioned in the Bible and it was often associated with the devil.

C. In the United States, the potato has found its way into pop culture and has been used in lots of idiomatic phrases. A couch potato, for example, means an inactive person; hot potato indicates a dangerous topic; small potatoes refers to something that is not a big deal; meat and potatoes means simple food. Calling someone a potato head is not a compliment because it means someone who is not very clever.

D. In 1853, that typically American product, the potato chip, was invented by pure accident. Annoyed when the guest of the restaurant sent back his fried potatoes because they were too thick, George Crum, the chef, thought he would teach him a lesson. He sliced some potatoes paper thin, deep-fried, and salted them. The guest loved them. However, potato chips began to be commercially manufactured only in 1915.

E. Potatoes are still making history. In October 1995, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA created the technology with the goal of feeding astronauts on long space voyages and, eventually, feeding future space colonies. The environmentally friendly potato was chosen due to its ability to grow under different conditions.

F. Potato festivals are very popular in the United States. They are held in autumn to celebrate farmers and the potato. During the festivals adults and children take part in fun parades and carnivals, taste new potato dishes, learn about growing potatoes, and join in some fun potato competitions. There are usually huge firework displays in the evening.

G. According to the United Nations report the annual diet of an average citizen in the beginning of the 21st century included about 33 kg of potatoes. However, the local importance of the potato is extremely variable. It remains an essential vegetable in Europe, but the most rapid increase has occurred in southern and eastern Asia. Nearly a third of the world's potatoes are harvested in China and India nowadays.

1. Learn and play 5. Keeping the tradition

2. A less popular subject 6. The advantages of learning together

3. Never too late to learn 7. Choosing the place to learn

4. The essential piece of uniform 8. School exchange programmes

A. Christ's Hospital school was founded in the 16th century. Its uniform at that time consisted of a long blue coat, a leather belt and yellow socks. Today students still wear the same uniform because they think it's a symbol that unites them. There was some talk about making the uniform more modern but it was decided to keep the original uniform.

B. Nola Ochs from the USA is the world's oldest university graduate. She says she has always loved learning and has never lost her taste for knowledge. She started university when she was over 90. Her example proves that age is not important if you want to be a student. You can acquire new skills at any age.

C. The Dublin College of English offers one, two or three week Football and English Programmes. They are for young people who are interested in both learning English with native speakers and practising football. The students enjoy the friendly, inspiring atmosphere in the classrooms, after which they improve their skills on the school football pitch.

D. Harrow is a prestigious boys' school in northern London with a strict uniform policy. You can easily recognise a Harrow student by his hat, which is part of the uniform. All boys have to wear their hats every day when going to or from lessons. Some students are allowed to wear a different scarf, tie or jumper but the hat should always be there. Wearing it remains a must.

E. One of the recent trends is the growing number of elderly students in universities and colleges. It is believed that the elderly and the young can benefit from studying in a mixed class. The older ones are quicker at detailed and logical tasks. On the other hand, younger students can often help their older classmates with new gadgets and technologies.

F. When it comes to studying English abroad, try to get as much information about the school as possible. Asking the right questions will help you save money, time, and avoid culture shock. Remember that the school should provide you both with good teaching and with an unforgettable experience so besides everyday classes, social activities should be part of the programme.

G. In most British schools children start studying a foreign language at 11, but many are happy to give up languages completely at 14. Research suggests that students think that it is more difficult to get good marks in Modern Foreign Languages than in other subjects such as Science or History. They also say that foreign languages are less fun than other lessons like PE or Art.

1. International space teams 5. The problem with closed spaces

2. A new kind of tourism 6. Down-to-Earth training for space

3. What to wear in space 7. Early space projects

4. Space station equipment 8. Space garbage

A.People have always dreamt about space travel and space discoveries. For the first time the dream came true when the unmanned satellite Sputnik was launched and scientists got the first photos of the Earth from outer space. However, the real breakthrough happened in 1961 when the first human, Yuri Gagarin, left our planet on the spacecraft Vostok and completed a full Earth orbit.

B.Since then lots of people have volunteered for space missions but few are able to meet the strict requirements for candidates. Still on the Earth, the future astronauts do tests in simulated environments and solve problems they are supposed to face during the flight. They get ready physically and psychologically for different situations. They also practise how to operate the complicated space equipment and what to do in an emergency.

C.Even wearing a spacesuit requires special skills. The main idea of the suit is to keep the person alive in outer space, during launch and landing, when the pressure on the body increases dramatically, or inside the space station, if something goes wrong. The suit is made from hard materials, contains its own oxygen supply and has lots of smart devices monitoring the condition of the astronaut.

D.Obviously, no device can completely eliminate the risk of space travel — it will always be a dangerous activity, but it attracts people anyway. They are ready to pay big money for an out-of-this-world experience and the number of such people is constantly increasing. There are already business projects for space tours and designs for space stations stuffed with equipment for entertainment instead of scientific experiments.

E.Not everyone supports the idea of idle space tourists, and there are reasons for this. Apart from unnecessary risk, it can add to the problem of space pollution. People have only started going into orbit very recently but they have already managed to leave lots of evidence of their existence there — parts of old spacecraft and satellites are circling the Earth. Scientists say that if this increases, it may cause serious problems and dangerous situations.

F.Nowadays, countries find it useful to combine their efforts when carrying out space exploration projects. The best engineers from all over the world participate in designing crafts and equipment, and astronauts working on the space station may be of different nationalities and backgrounds. Theoretically speaking, it might cause some misunderstanding and culture clashes, but in practice this never happens.

G.Long space missions, however, are going to be a great challenge to the flight team whatever nationality they are. The astronauts will have to communicate only with each other and there will be no opportunity to escape unpleasant people. Psychologists believe that stress is a serious risk factor for the planned expedition to Mars.

1. A risky place to live in 5. United but varied

2. In the past 6. An important food producer

3. Night guards 7. A dream state

4. The miracle of water 8. Attractive to IT specialists

A. The United States is so big that there are six time zones. If you want to phone from Washington to Hawaii or central Alaska, there is a six-hour time difference. The geography and climate of the United States are extremely diverse. While people go to the beach in Florida, California and Hawaii, others, in Alaska and the Midwest, are wearing thick coats and trying to keep warm.

B. California seems to have everything – a beautiful coastline on the Pacific with beaches and a warm climate, rocky national parks and amazing skiing and snowboarding opportunities. Its largest cities, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the state capital, Sacramento, offer cultural variety and excitement. Southern California is home to such popular attractions as Disneyland and Hollywood.

C. There are many reasons for Americans to move to California, but there are also reasons to stay away. Some people say it’s a great place to visit, but they wouldn’t want to live there. In recent years, there has been drought followed by flooding and thousands of people have become homeless, and the crops were ruined. Frequent forest fires have burnt the land and destroyed people’s homes.

D. California produces more farming products than any other American state. All kinds of fruit and vegetables grow well in the moderate climate. It is especially known for its avocados and grapes. California is not technically a "breadbasket" and it is not a top five American producer of any grain product, but it is, surprisingly, the nation's largest dairy provider.

E. The most famous children’s attraction in the world is in California. Disneyland occupies 85 acres, and lots of people are busy keeping it in order. Аnd not only people. After the park closes, an army of four-legged “workers” go out to do their job. It’s not common knowledge that Disneyland “employs” 200 wild cats that roam the grounds after sunset. Their job is to keep rats and mice away from the park. And during daylight hours the cats have a rest, hiding on the territory.

F. It is the hottest place on Earth. Yet here you can find dry lands and snowcovered peaks, beautiful sand dunes and rocky canyons. For five months of the year there is severe heat in Death Valley, and for the next seven the temperature goes down slightly. Rain rarely gets past the mountains that guard the valley. However, even this small amount of rain turns the desert into a vast colourful garden. Despite the high temperature, more than 1000 kinds of plants live within the valley.

G. South of San Francisco is Santa Clara Valley. It is famous because it has so many companies that specialize in computer technology. In fact the valley is better known as Silicon Valley, named after the material that computer chips are made of. There are also many research centers for computer hardware and software. Thousands of people from the US and abroad have moved to California to work in the computer industry.

1. Popular route 5. Common roots

2. The secret of the old rocks 6. Wildlife holidays

3. City of contrasts 7. Holy waters

4. Escape the heat 8. Movie magic

A. The world’s first university was established in India in 700 BC, where more than 10,500 students from around the world studied more than 60 different subjects. The training was conducted in Sanskrit. Nowadays Sanskrit is considered to be the mother of all the European languages. Its elements can be traced in most of them.

B. The most frequently visited place in India is Delhi, the capital of the country. Itseems to be divided into two parts. New Delhi is a modern city with hi-tech architecture, tourist attractions and modern facilities. Old Delhi is several centuries old, with narrow streets, ancient churches and noisy bazaars. Lots of people live in slums without the most essential facilities like toilets and running water.

C. People all over the world know of India’s greatest river, the Ganges. It is the subject of thousands of prayers. The river looks extremely beautiful in the morning light. It is believed that bathing in the Ganges helps to cure all kinds of diseases and can improve your life in general. It has become a common ritual for pilgrims to gather by the river in the mornings.

D. The most famous and often visited Indian historic area is the Golden Triangle. It consists of the cities of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. Lying in the south-east, Agra attracts tourists with its iconic image of the Taj Mahal palace, which is one of the eight wonders of the modern world. To the south-west is the colourful ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur, known for its Palace of Winds.

E. Indian climate differs from one part of the country to another. The air is cool and fresh in the mountains but in the plains it is usually very hot and dry so even a short trip can be very hard for an inexperienced traveller. That is why tourists are always glad to have a rest at one of the numerous stations in the hills. There they can enjoy a nice cup of real Indian tea, the most refreshing drink in such a climate.

F. India is not all history. It is also famous for its Bollywood industry, which produces love stories and action films. Indian films have always had their own style, rich in music and dancing. Though the industry is still developing, many of Indian film stars have received Oscar prizes and are known throughout the world. The home of Bollywood is Bombay, also known as a busy port and the country’s commercial centre.

G. There is an unusual treasure hidden in the Indian mountains. These are striking ancient temples cut in the rocks. For example, the Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta were built at least 2,000 years ago. Inside the caves on the walls tourists can see pictures of people’s lives and animal images. Some researchers believe that the interpretation of the images can help us to learn a lot about people’s lives in ancient times.

1. A magic journey 5. A family weekend

2. Freedom of choice 6. Ideal for beginners

3. A trip around the world 7. An all-inclusive trip

4. An unusual means of transport 8. Across the continent

A. Everyone knows that cycling is a nice and healthy way to travel. It offers you independence. You don't depend on timetables. You can go where and when you want. You can stop at a restaurant when you please, stay in the places you like and leave if you get bored. The world is yours.

B. Learn the basics of rock climbing with Cliffs and Ice. It is a perfect choice for those who decide to take up climbing for the first time. After a week in Cornwall you will learn the main skills necessary to become a competent climber. We will give you an experience that you can use in different climbing areas in the UK.

C. It is situated close to the Lake District, which is known for picturesque scenery. The ingredients that will help you make an unforgettable winter holiday with your nearest and dearest are: the welcoming fireplaces, delicious food, cosy rooms and different sports facilities. It's perfect for a weekend trip with children. Take the people you love to our delightful hotel in the country.

D.A journey through a wild and faraway desert — by camel! This is a wonderful choice for anyone who wants to forget the modern means of travelling. You'll be on top of a camel and part of a desert caravan. Camel drivers will accompany you, providing good company, as you admire the golden sand and the bright blue sky.

E.If you take a train tour to the lakes, you'll have nothing to worry about. You will leave London in a comfortable train, travel through the small picturesque towns and into the green hills. There will be no problems with the trip. The price already includes a return ticket, afternoon tea at Linden Hotel, a beautiful lake cruise, a visit to the medieval village and Hill Top, home of a famous English writer.

F.The Hogwarts Express plays a big part in the adventures of Harry Potter. A trip to the Scottish Highlands can be your chance to sit in the same carriage and dream about your own trip to the mysterious world. The journey goes through some of Scotland's most splendid scenery. The best part of the journey is when the train crosses the Glenfinnan viaduct, a railway bridge.

G.Are you ready for Africa? Say yes and take a Safari Holiday. It is a mystery, wonder and ... adventure! Our safari experts will take you through Africa from east to west. We offer views of dunes, mountain ranges, untouched beaches and open fields. You will see the amazing wildlife and beautiful nature. Let us make your African safari an experience you will never forget!