Промежуточная аттестация

I. Чтение.

The Best Job in the World

Have you ever heard of the Great Barrier Reef? It is the world's largest coral reef system along the eastern coast of Australia. In February 2009 an extraordinary position was advertised by the Australian Tourism Office. The advertisement ran that the Great Barrier Reef needed a caretaker for half a year. It was for a special person who would look after the Reef.

The job offered a large salary, free accommodation in a luxury villa, and transportation there and around the islands. All expenses would be paid: the winner wouldn't need to spend any extra money on anything.

The job's duties were pretty simple. You could only dream of such requirements. First, the person had to speak English and swim well. Second, on the island his responsibility included writing a weekly Internet blog. That's right, weekly, not even daily! The job description also required the successful applicant to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, make friends with the locals and generally enjoy the tropical climate and lifestyle. A real dream!

Within the first 2 days of the contest, the tourism office received more than seven thousand online applications. All told, 34,000 people of all different nationalities applied. Each made and presented a 60-second video resume. They had to be creative and they were. In the end 16 people were chosen, who flew to Australia for the final selection. The candidates were interviewed and the winner was Ben Southhall from the UK.

Ben greatly enjoyed the dream job he had got. He realised that people knew very little about planet earth and its treasures. Living in big cities, they forgot how important the flora and fauna of this world were. Every time Ben went outdoors, he could discover something new. "Every time I dived or went underwater, I forgot about all the troubles above water and concentrated on living in the moment. It was a good way to clean the mind and build respect for the natural world," Ben said.

Ben's life on the island was not just fun. It was very busy, busier than most people imagined, and certainly busier than Ben himself had imagined. He worked seven days a week and up to 19 hours a day. The Best Job included travelling to over 60 islands of the Reef almost every day. It was not just looking after the Reef, Ben had a lot of meetings, press conferences and interviews. He was getting a lot of attention all the time and he couldn't get away from it. That was probably the hardest part of the job.

Moreover, any adventure has a certain degree of risk. Swimming and diving on the Great Barrier Reef was not different. Ben had to deal with whales, sharks and other huge sea creatures. Surprisingly, the most dangerous thing was a small jellyfish about the size of a little finger. It's considered to be extremely poisonous and Ben was stung by it. He had to spend a couple of days in hospital but luckily recovered after a course of antibiotics.

Ben often says that the project has taught him a few valuable lessons. Working with the Internet is one of those jobs you can do 24 hours a day. Ben realised it was hard to separate life and work, but this he had to do. He also said: "I've learned that we get one life on earth so we have to use it. There'll always be other countries to visit, other people to meet and other adventures to meet. This is what I wish to do. I'm planning to go to Asia in a few years time".

1. The Australian Tourism Office employs a new caretaker twice a year.

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

2.There was no Internet on the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. 

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

3. People from different countries applied for the job.

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

4.Ben Southall was a good swimmer. 

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

5. While working as a caretaker Ben Southall had lots of free time.

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

6. To do his job Ben Southall had to communicate with journalists.

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

7. Ben Southhall was taken to hospital after a shark attack.

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

8.Ben Southall is going to make a film about his work on the islands.

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

II. Прочитайте приведённый ниже текст. Преобразуйте слово, напечатанное заглавными буквами в скобках так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста. Заполните пропуск полученным словом.

When Jacob opened his eyes, it was late morning. He closed ____________(THEY) again as there was no point in getting up. It was the __________(ONE) day of holidays but it was no fun — all his friends were out of the city and Jacob knew that his parents ____________(COME) home from work late. Suddenly he ____________(HEAR) a noise from the kitchen. Thieves? Jacob felt scared. Someone was there. Then he smelled pies cooking. Thieves do not cook pies and he immediately knew who it was. “Gran! I'm so glad you ___________(COME)!” Jacob rushed to the kitchen and hugged the smiling little lady. “Easy, easy, or I'll drop the saucepan. I ____________(MAKE) your favourite pie with vanilla sauce. Where do you keep cinnamon by the way? Cinnamon ____________(WRITE) here, but there isn't any,” the woman handed him a little spice jar. “I don't know, Gran, honestly! But the cinnamon _________(NOT MATTER). It's great that you are here. I've got a lot to tell you.” The woman smiled. “OK, you get dressed and when you are ready, we _________(CHAT). Hurry up!” 

The German __________________(SCIENCE) explains that he gets all his energy from sunlight. He says he drinks only water and __________________(DIFFER) fruit juices. Dr Werner has written an __________________(EXCITE) book about his experiences. In it he says that when he started the experiment he even put on weight.

He says: “I can't really give an __________________(EXPLAIN) of what’s happening to me; perhaps I just believe in my theory.” Dr Werner’s colleagues say that only plants can produce energy from the sun, and they cannot explain how he is able to stay __________________(HEALTH). “This case __________________(PROBABLE) needs a lot more research before we will be able to explain it,” they say.

III.

You have 30 minutes to do this task. You have received a letter from your English-speaking pen friend, Ben.

Write her a letter and answer her 3 questions. Write 100–120 words. Remember the rules of letter writing.