Test 16 on world history

I. Прочитайте текст и выберите вариант ответа, соответствующий содержанию прочитанных фрагментов (а-с).

A. Prince Albert, the younger son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, married Queen Victoria in 1840 and became her private secretary. His position as a foreigner in Victoria's court required a great deal of tact from the royal couple and initially he was excluded from state affairs. Soon his political abilities and social skills began to show and eventually he found that he was advising his wife on most aspects of her political duties. The renowned Great Exhibition was held at his suggestion in 1851. It wasn't until after his death, in 1861, that his contribution to the arts, science and social welfare of Britain was recog­nized. The Queen remained in mourning for the rest of her life.

B. Former Pakistani first husband Asif Ali Zardari does not have a good reputation as a political figure. Many people believe that his wife lost her position as Prime Minister in 1996 as a result of his arrest on charges of corruption. As Finance Minister, he was unofficially named 'Mr Ten Per Cent' supposedly referring to the cut he took in all state contracts during Bhutto's reign, in which 1 billion pounds is believed to have been mishandled. Zardari was then accused of involvement in the murder of his wife's brother and political rival, who was shot dead in a mysterious police ambush in September 1996. Bhutto has supported him through his darkest moments, even though she suffered guilt by association.

C. Pity poor Peter III of Russia. In marrying the German Princess Sophia Augusta von Anhait-Zerbst (Catherine II), the successor to the Tsarina Elizabeth bit off more than he could chew. His first act after coronation in 1762 was to return to Frederick the Great all the Prussian provinces conquered by Russia during the Seven Years War. Unsurprisingly the military was unimpressed and he was killed in a coup led by his wife and her lover Count Orlov. Catherine's subsequent love affairs with different officers and politicians were widely publicized, although it is said she was devoted to Peter in the early years of their marriage.

1. The man who harmed his wife`s career is introduced in

1. Sections A, B

2. Sections B, C

3. Section B

4. Section C

2. The man who caused great sorrow to his wife when he died is described in

1. Section A

2. Section B

3. Section C

4. Sections A, C

3. The reader meets the man/men of aristocratic origin in

1. Sections A, C

2. Sections B, C

3. Sections A, B

4. Section C

4. The man who was murdered by his wife is depicted in

1. Section A

2. Section B

3. Section C

4. Sections B, C

5. The man who eventually took the role of his wife's adviser is shown in

1. Section A

2. Section B

3. Section C

4. Sections A, C

II. Прочитайте текст. Подберите соответствующий заголовок к каждому абзацу (1-5).

(1) The recent discovery of the wreck of an old ship on the ocean floor near the coast of North Carolina has revived interest in the colorful character who was the ship's last captain. The ship is believed to be the Queen Anne's Revenge, which sank in 1718. Her captain, who was the most notorious pirate of his day, was called Blackbeard, whose real name was Edward Teach. He had been a sailor on British ships in the Caribbean during Queen Anne's War (1702-1713). These ships were often involved in attacks on French and Spanish ships in the region and were allowed to keep a percentage of whatever they captured from these enemies of the queen.

(2) All this changed in 1713 when the European powers declared peace and the war ended. Teach and hundreds of other sailors had to choose between returning to unemployment in Britain or continuing to do what they knew best, only as pirates. They started as small bands in small boats, attacking and robbing merchant ships, and eventually took control of larger ships which had the speed and power to dominate the trade routes in and near the Caribbean.

(3) When they captured a large French ship, which they renamed Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard and his crew finally had a true pirate ship, 80 feet long, with three masts and more than three dozen cannons. Blackbeard soon learned that a fearsome reputation, a pirate flag and some warning shots from his cannons were all that he needed to stop most ships without a fight.

(4) In contemporary accounts, Blackbeard is described as a 'demon from hell', whose huge black beard was twisted into long tails and who carried several guns and swords in belts slung across both shoulders. Sticking out from the sides of his cap were long smoldering fuses that he could use to ignite cannons during an attack.

(5) Blackbeard's reign of terror lasted until 1718 when he was killed in a sea battle with two British ships which had been sent to put an end to piracy in the region. After his death, Blackbeard became a romantic figure and stories about his daring adventures and tales of secret buried treasure helped to create the popular image of pirates we still have today.

1. First Truly Pirate Ship.

2. Legendary Figure of His Time

3. Fearsome Reputation

4. Love and Glory

5. Remarkable Finds

6. Pirates of the Caribbean

7. Daring Pirate Plans

III. Прочитайте текст и выполните послетекстовые задания.

(1) Tools and hand bones excavated from the Swartkrans cave complex in South Africa suggest that a close relative of early humans known as Australopithecus robustus may have made and used primitive tools long before the species became extinct one million years ago. It may even have made and used primitive tools long before humanity’s direct ancestor, Homo habilis, or "handy man," began doing so. Homo habilis and its successor, Homo erectus, coexisted with Australopithecus robustus on the plains of South Africa for more than a million years.

(2) The cave in South Africa has been under excavation since the 1940's. The earliest fossil-containing layers of sedimentary rock in the cave date from about 1.9 million years ago and contain extensive remains of animals, primitive tools, and two or more species of apelike hominids. The key recent discovery involved bones from the hand of Australopithecus robustus, the first time such bones have been found.

(3) The most important feature of the Australopithecus robustus hand was the pollical distal thumb tip, the last bone in the thumb. The bone had an attachment point for a "uniquely human" muscle that had previously been found only in more recent ancestors. That muscle gave Australopithecus robustus an opposable thumb, a feature that would allow them to grip objects, including tools. The researchers also found primitive bone and stone implements, especially digging tools, in the same layers of sediments.

(4) Australopithecus robustus were more heavily built — more "robust" in anthropological terms — than their successors. They had broad faces, heavy jaws, and massive crushing and grinding teeth that were used for eating hard fruits, seeds, and fibrous underground plant parts. They walked upright, which would have allowed them to carry and use tools. Most experts had previously believed that Homo habilis were able to supplant Australopithecus robustus because the former's ability to use tools gave them an innate superiority. The discovery that Australopithecus robustus also used tools means that researchers will have to seek other explanations for their extinction. Perhaps their reliance on naturally occurring plants led to their downfall as the climate became drier and cooler, or perhaps Homo habilis, with their bigger brains, were able to make more sophisticated tools.

Выберите вариант ответа, соответствующий содержанию прочитанного текста (задания 1-5).

1. Which of the following does the author mention as the most important recent discovery made in the Swartcrans cave?

A. Tools

B. Teeth

C. Hand bones

2. What does the third paragraph mainly discuss?

A. Features of the prehistoric man`s hand

B. Methods used to determine the age of fossils

C. Purposes for which tools were used

3. It can be inferred that Australopithecus robustus was so named because of its

A. diet

B. thumb

C. build

4. Before the Swartkrans cave discovery scientists believed that Australopithecus robustus never

A. used tools

B. ate plant food

C. lived in caves

5. What the author suggests is unclear about Australopithecus robustus is

A. whether they are closely related to humans

B. what they drank

C. why they became extinct

Определите значение указанного слова в тексте (задания 6-8).

6. extensive (2)

A. valuable B. ancient C. numerous

7. thumb (3)

A. hand B. toe C. finger

8. supplant (4)

A. imitate B.exploit C. displace

Выберите правильный вариант перевода в соответствии с содержанием текста (задания 9-12).

9. It may even have made and used primitive tools long before humanity’s direct ancestor, Homo habilis… (1)

A. Вполне возможно, что этот предок современного человека изготавливал и использовал орудия значительно раньше, чем наш предок Homo habilis ….

B. Он даже мог изготавливать и использовать орудия много раньше, чем прямой предок человечества Homo habilis…

C. Он мог бы изготовить и использовать орудия значительно раньше, чем прямой предок человечества Homo habilis…

10. The key recent discovery involved bones from the hand of Australopithecus robustus, the first time such bones have been found (2).

A. Одна из важнейших находок последнего времени – кости руки предка человека Australopithecus robustus, которые найдены впервые.

B. В одно из ключевых открытий недавнего времени включены кости руки Australopithecus robustus, которые найдены впервые.

C. Одно из решающих открытий последнего времени состоит в нахождении костей руки Australopithecus robustus, которые найдены впервые.

11. They walked upright, which would have allowed them to carry and use tools (4).

A. Они ходили прямо, что, по-видимому, позволяло им носить и использовать орудия.

B. Они были прямоходящими, что позволяло им носить и использовать орудия.

C. Они передвигались прямо, что позволяло им носить и использовать орудия.

12. Perhaps their reliance on naturally occurring plants led to their downfall as the climate became drier and cooler … (4)

A. По-видимому, исчезновение этого вида обусловлено зависимостью от естественной расительной пищи, которой стало мало вследствие того, что климат стал холоднее и суше.

B. Возможно, то, что они полагались на естественную растительную пищу, привело к их исчезновению, когда климат стал холоднее и суше.

C. Вероятно, их зависимость от естественной растительной пищи привело к падению этого вида, когда климат стал холоднее и суше.