Exam card 1

I. Magazines

Magazine is one of the major mass media. Magazine is a collection of articles and stories. Usually magazines also contain illustrations.


The earliest magazines developed from newspapers and booksellers catalogs. Such catalogs first appeared during the 1600's in France. In the 1700's pamphlets published at regular intervals appeared in England and America. They were literary publications. One of the first British magazines «The Gentleman's Magazine» was published from 1731 to 1914. The first American magazine was called the «American Magazine », or «A Monthly View».


Magazines provide information on a wide range of topics such as business, culture, hobbies, medicine, religion, science, and sports. Some magazines entertain their readers with fiction, poetry, photography or articles about TV, or movie stars.


Magazines are designed to be kept for a longer time in comparison to newspapers and that is "why they are printed on better paper and have covers. Magazines, unlike newspapers, do not focus on daily, rapidly changing events.


There are specialized magazines intended for special business, industrial and professional groups, and consumer magazines intended for general public. There are several kinds of consumer magazines.


Children's magazines contain stories, jokes, articles on subjects especially interesting for children and instructions for making games or useful items.


Hobby magazines are intended for collectors of coins, stamps, and other items; people interested in certain sports or games; photography enthusiasts.
Intellectual magazines provide analysis of current cultural and political events. Many of them publish fiction and poetry as well.


Men's magazines focus on such topics as adventure, entertainment, men's fashion and sports.


Women's magazines deal with child-raising, fashion trends, romance. They offer ideas on cooking and home decorating. Many of the monthlies with big circulations are women's magazines.

II 1. Most university students . . . . . on campus in their first year.

a) lives b) live c) are living

2. When I arrived the lecture . . . . . so I didn’t find it easy to follow.

a) started b) had started c) had been starting

3. Where . . . . . you usually spend your summer holiday?

a) does b) are c) do

4. When Mark arrived, the Johnsons . . . . . dinner, but stopped in order to talk to him.

a) were having b) had been having c) was having

5. It______outside; 1 do not like to walk in such weather.

a) rains b) is raining c) is rained

6. We were good friends, we______each other for years.

a) had known b) had knowing c) were knowing

7. 1______a lot but I don't any more.

a) was used to eat b) used to eat c) was eating

8. Don't worry______late tonight.

a) if I'll be b) if I am c) when I'll be

9. . . . . . you call me tomorrow?

a) are b) do c) will

10.When I came home, they . . . . . . .

a) left b) have already left c) had already left

III Why do we study English?

Exam card 2

I FILM INDUSTRY

The first American 2-minute movies were shown as bonus attractions in vaudeville houses until the early 1900s, when thousands of small theaters devoted solely to films, and called nickelodeons because they charged a nickel, opened across the country.

In 1903 "The Great Train Robbery" — the first American film to spin a coherent story — was made. Though this primitive horse opera lasted only about 8 minutes and seems embarrassingly crude to the modern eye, it would be hard to exaggerate its impact on contemporary audiences.

Within a few years the center of motion picture production had shifted to Hollywood, California, and shrewd entrepreneurs such as Louis B. Mayer and Samuel Goldwyn had built the movies into a national industry that grossed even more than any other expert agriculture, steel, and transportation.

By 1925 motion pictures were more a necessity than a luxury for many Americans. More than 130 million people went to the movies each week. There were 20000 motion picture theaters, some seating 7000 persons.

The first sound cartoon was introduced to the public in 1928. It was Walt Disney's best creation "Mickey Mouse".

Much of the prestige and profit of movies depended both on great actors and the genius of the directors. The most sought-after award in the movie business is the Oscar, annually presented since 1929 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Five nominees in each of some 25 categories are picked by their fellow craftsmen. Winners are chosen by secret ballot cast by the Academy's more than 2800 members.

II 1. There's plenty of room for cars in the yard; much better . . . . . parking in the village street.

a) than b) then c) there

2. Your boss really likes you. He said . . . . . the best manager in his department.

a) then b) your c) you're

3. Thanks for taking me out, it's much better . . . . . listening to my grandma all day long.

a) than b) then c) -

4. If I _____ more time, I _____ to play the guitar.

a) have; will learn b) had; would learn c) has; would have learnt

5. Hillary told me she . . . . . in New-York all that year, and she had no wish to leave the city.

a) lived b) had lived c) was living

6. Nina said Lucy complained that her friends never . . . . . any attention to what she told them.

a) would pay b) paid c) had paid

7. Water . . . . . at 100 degrees.

a) boils b) is boiling с) will boil

8. I always feel positive . . . . . the start of the week.

a) in b) at c) on

9. Hundreds of people . . . . . by the new factory this year.

a) are employed b) were employed c) have been employed

10. Many accidents . . . . . by dangerous driving.

a) caused b) are caused c) have been caused

III My favorite season

Exam card 3

I Cinema

Cinema plays an important role in the life of any society. It is an available popular form of art. Lots of people find going to the cinema one of the best ways of spending their leisure time. The movie audience is predominantly a young one.

Due to numerous video facilities, cinema attendances have declined sharply. But there is no denying the fact that the cinema-going habit is still a strong one.

No matter how large the place you live in is (whether it's a big city or a small provincial town, or even a settlement) there's most likely to be a cinema there.

There are such genres of feature films as the western, the thriller, the musical, the drama and the comedy. The performance lasts for two or three hours and most cinemas have at least 4 performances a day. There is no doubt that a good cinema show is an excellent entertainment and quite cheap. Films produced in the USA have dominated of late cinema screens in this country. And this tendency is growing.

As for me, I'm fond of going to the cinema. It's a pity; I don't always have time for it. It's an open secret that we live in a very difficult time now. But people do need something amusing and pleasant, something to laugh at. That's why I give my preference to comedies. The last comedy, I saw, is «Crocodile Dandy». The film tells about amusing adventures of a young lovely woman — reporter and a strong and brave crocodile hunter. At first, their relations were not friendly. She even looked down on him and he in return neglected her. But after he rescued her out of some difficult situations, their relations became more friendly. A happy end is an essential feature of American films. The same is true of this comedy. The main characters fall in love with each other in the end of the film

II 1. Pushkin, the great Russian poet, was born in ......

a) 1799 b) a 1799 c) the 1799

2. Over 57 million students ..... in American schools which range from kindergartens to high schools.

a) were enrolled b) are enrolled c) has been enrolled

3. This situation is serious. Something must ..... before it's too late.

a) do b) be done c) have done

4. By the time you come home you ..... everything I have told you.

a) will have forgotten b) will forget c) have forgotten

5. All these houses ......... neglected for decades.

a) will be b) are being c) have been

6. Is there anything here worth _____?

a) buying b) being bought c) having been bough

7. If the weather is not too bad tomorrow, we _____ golf.

a) will play b) would play c) have played

8. Jerry said that by the end of the year he ..... in his new house for four years.

a) would have been living b) would be living c) would live

9. I knew Linda ..... around Europe for three months already.

a) was travelling b) had been travelling c) had travelled

10. Tom said that he had been late for work that morning, and he added that he ..... before.

a) had never been late b) was never late c) never had been late

III My favourite writer (actor, artist, musician)

Exam card 4

I The Problem of Smoking

Smoking is the best way to bad health. Today half the men and a quarter of the women in the world smoke on the average.

Some people think that there is not much sense in refraining from smoking, since the inhabitants of many cities and even villages breathe air contaminated with industrial and automobile wastes. They are very wrong. Vehicle exhaust gases are harmful in themselves, but a smoking driver is subjected to something far more dangerous.

Take another example: according to WHO (World Health Organisation) figures, the sick rate is higher among smoking workers of the heavy engineering, chemical, ceramic, mining, building, cement and rubber industries.

The harm of tobacco smoke on women should be especially emphasized. In particular, smoking may affect the course of pregnancy. Smoking women may bring into the world crippled or abnormal children.

The evidence that exposure to other people's smoke is dangerous to health is now incontrovertible. The exposure to secondhand smoke is a serious health risk to non-smokers, increasing their chance of contracting lung cancer and heart disease. The degree of risk depends on the extent and duration of exposure. Particularly there is a high risk among workers in the hospitality industries (bar staff, casino workers and other employees in workplaces where smoking is routine). It is estimated that secondhand smoke causes one premature death a week.

In the past few years some measures have been taken to reduce smoking. There has been a growing awareness of the dangers of smoking throughout the world. The anti-smoking campaigns launched in a number of countries have brought about extensive public censure of this harmful habit and a decrease in the number of smokers among some groups of the population.

In our country the campaign to beat the cigarette habit has acquired a purposeful nature. Special legislative, medical and educational measures are being worked out.

Instructions forbid smoking among schoolchildren. Lessons on the harm of smoking have been included in courses of the anatomy, physiology and hygiene, the sale of cigarettes to minors is prohibited. Warnings against the harm of smoking are printed on packets of cigarette brands.

The ministries of railways, civil aviation, merchant marine and culture have worked out and now implement measures for regulating, limiting and restricting smoking in long-distance and suburban trains, planes, on sea vessels, in theatres, clubs, etc.

II 1. I can’t find ..... textbook. Have you seen it anywhere?

a) my b) mine c) me

2. I can’t walk very fast. You are younger; you can walk ..... .

a) much faster b) fast c) the fastest

3. Their children are not well-behaved. Actually they are ..... children I’ve ever seen.

a) badly-behaved b) worse-behaved c) the worst-behaved

4. Paul had a wash and dried ..... with a towel.

a) herself b) himself c) hisself

5. Could you tell me ..... to the railway station?

a) how I can get b) how can I get c) I how can get

6 The children ......... taken to school by bus every day.

a) are b) have c) was

7. I don’t mind _____ Zac. It’s a nice nickname.

a) calling b) being called c) having been called

8. If I ______ you, I _____ what to do.

a) am; will not know b) were; would not know c) was; would have known

9. Mrs. Smith told me that it had not been raining when lightning ..... the tree in her garden.

a) had struck b) struck c) should be striking

10. George was worried if ..... enough time to finish his report for the conference.

a) would he have b) he would have c) will have

III About myself

Exam card 5

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

Ever since 1886, when her great torch was lifted into place 305 feet above Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the colossal statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World" has symbolized America for millions of eager newcomers. Many wept as they neared the American shore, recalling all they had left behind and apprehensive about what they might find in the new land. But with their first glimpse of the statue, one Italian immigrant recalled, they were "steadied ... by the concreteness of the symbol of America's freedom, and they dried their tears".

The statue was the work of Alsatian sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and was intended to commemorate both a century of amity between France and the United States and the concept of political freedom shared by the two nations.

The book that Liberty holds in her left hand symbolizes the Declaration of Independence. The main figure is attached to an iron framework designed by Gustave Eiffel, builder of France's Eiffel Tower.

The statue was paid for by French contributors; American schoolchildren participated in a nationwide drive to raise funds for the pedestal. On a tablet within are inscribed the last five lines of a sonnet, "The New Colossus", by Emma Lazarus, herself an immigrant:

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

II Grammar

1. It … Sunday evening.


a) was
 b) were 
 c) be

2.  Everybody looked tired and wanted to go … home.

a) 
-
 b) at
 c) to

3. … sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky. 


a) A
 b) -
 c) The

4. Mr. Candy locked the door and … outside.


a) went
 b) goed
 c) goes

5. … door was blocked by the police.


a) Mr. Candy
 b) Mr. Candys’
 c) Mr. Candy’s

6. Mr. Candy was sure that his life … change greatly soon.


a) will
 b) would c) shall

7. It wasn’t really funny because Mr. Candy … a date that night.


a) had 
 b) has c) have

8. Somebody stole the picture, that ... in town the day before.


a) arrived
 b) did arrive 
 c) had arrived

9. … wanted to go to the restaurant, so all stayed to have dinner at home. 


a) Nothing 
 b) Nobody
 c) Everybody

10. The dinner smelled … good. 


a) - b) of
 c) to

III Advantages and disadvantages of social networking

Exam card 5

I Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. He came from a family of musicians. There were over 53 musicians in his family over a period of 300 years. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685. His father was a talented violinist. When his parents died, he was only 10 years old. He went to stay with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was a professional organist, and continued his younger brother's musical education. After several years in this arrangement, Johann Sebastian won a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Northern Germany. A master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a 'lackey and violinist' in a court orchestra in Weimar; and soon after he took the job of an organist at a church in Arnstadt.

He married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach and assumed the post of organist and concertmaster in the ducal chapel in Weimar. He remained there for nine years, and composed his first major works, including organ showpieces and cantatas. By this stage in his life, Bach had developed a reputation as a brilliant musical talent. His proficiency on the organ was unequaled in Europe, and he toured regularly.

His growing mastery of compositional forms, like the fugue and the canon, was already attracting interest from the musical establishment, which, in his day, was the Lutheran church. But, like many people of uncommon talent, he was never very good at playing the political game, and therefore suffered periodic setbacks in his career. When his wife died, he remarried and had 11 children in both marriages. Several of these children would become fine composers. After conducting and composing for the court orchestra at Cothen for seven years, Bach was offered the highly prestigious post of cantor (music director) of St. Thomas' Church in Leipzig. Bach remained at his post in Leipzig until his death in 1750.

He was creatively active until the very end, even after cataract problems virtually blinded him in 1740. His last musical composition, a chorale prelude entitled 'Before Thine Throne, My God, I Stand', was dictated to his son-in-law only days before his death.

II 1. Where are the keys? I can’t find ..... .

a) they b) them c) their

2. I like skiing ..... as skating.

a) more b) as much c) as more

3. They would like . . . . . a new house.

a) to buy b) to buying c) buying

4. I really appreciate _____ this opportunity. I’ll do my best.

a) giving b) being give c) having been given

5. Look here Sam! I am not going to clean your room. Why don’t you do it .....?

a) youself b) yourselves c) yourself

6. That ceremony ......... enacted on Tuesday next.

a) has been b) is c) is being

7. I am thinking _____ finding a new job.

a) of b) on c) at

8. If we knew more about history, we ________ of the test.

a) will not be afraid b) would not be afraid c) had not been afraid

9. Jerry believed that Sally ..... the book since Monday, but she had read only fifty pages so far.

a) had been reading b) had read c) was reading

10. Sharon said she ..... her key in her pocket, but she couldn't find it there.

a) had been left b) left c) had left

III Are parents best teachers?

Exam card 6

I PURELY AMERICAN CREATIONS

After the Civil War, as black musicians began to play European instruments previously unavailable to them, Negroes created many minstrel songs and transported the minstrel style to the piano. Negro talent, influenced by minstrel sounds applied to European-style melodies, ultimately produced a new form called ragtime. The term probably derived from the ragged, uneven sound of this syncopated piano music, which mixed Afro-Caribbean dance rhythms with the accents of the quadrille, the polka, the schottische, and the march.

Ragtime faded during World War I but won a new audience in the 1960s and 1970s television shows and in personal appearances.

Jazz became so popular that it became established in the national consciousness. The word "jazz" was so firmly planted in the public mind that the decade of the 1920s was known as the Jazz Age. Louis Armstrong and Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington have become jazz classics.

While jazz, the first distinctively American music to emerge in that country, was winning adherents and acceptance, the ballads, broadsides, jigs, reels, and sacred songs that had come to America with English, Scottish, and Irish settlers were evolving their own American forms. There it remained for a century, virtually unchanged except for slight coloration from contact with black music. Then, like jazz, it was spread beyond its narrow boundaries, first by the phonograph, and then by radio.

Country music has made an important contribution to a new phenomenon called rock'n'roll. White listeners became aware of the excitement and validity this music could generate. The way was opened for another white performer, Elvis Presley, to project the essence of the black music, which became known as rock'n'roll. Presley's performing style stirred so much anger in the adult world that teenagers made him a symbol of their beliefs, and rock'n'roll became a musical expression of rebellion.

II 1. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, but it _____ cloudy in the morning.


a) is
 b) was
 c) were

2.  We ______ English at the moment. 


a) are speaking
 b) speak c) is speaking

3. _____sun shines by day and _____ moon shines by night. 


a) A, a b) A, -
 c) The, the

4. This is _____ aunt and _____ new husband.


a) mine … his
 b) my … her
 c) me … hers

5. That is Mr. Smith. Can you see _____ well?


a) us
 b) him
 c) me

6. Little Jane doesn’t like _____ new dress.


a) she
 b) her
 c) hers

7. Do you like beer? – No, I hate _____ .


a) them
 b) him
 c) it

8. We generally have lunch at 12.30, but yesterday we _________ later.


a) had lunch
 b) have lunched
 c) had had lunch

9. Look! Helen _____ the garden. 


a) are working
 b) work
 c) is working

10. Don’t worry about your letter. I _______ it the day before yesterday.


a) sended
 b) have sent
 c) sent

III How I went shopping

Exam card 7

I O'Henry

O'Henry is a famous American short-story writer, a master of surprise endings of the stories. He wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. Typical for O'Henry's stories is a twist of plot which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance.

William Sidney Porter (O'Henry) was born in Greenboro, North Carolina. His father, Algernon Sidney Porter, was a physician. When William was three, his mother died, and he was raised by his paternal grandmother and a paternal aunt. William was an avid reader, but at the age of fifteen he left the school, and then worked in a drug store and on a Texas ranch. He continued to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk. After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married.

In 1884 Porter started a humorous weekly "The Rolling Stone". It was at this time that he began the heavy drinking. When the weekly failed, he joined the "Houston Post" as a reporter and columnist In 1894 cash was found to have gone missing from the bank and O'Henry fled to Honduras. He returned to Austin the next year because his wife was dying. In 1897 he was convicted of embezzling bank fund, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt. In 1898 he entered a penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio.

While in prison O'Henry started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret. His first work, "Whistling Dicks Christmas Stocking" (1899), appeared in "McClures Magazine" The stories of adventure in the U. S. Southwest and in Central America gained an immediately success among readers. After doing three years of the five years sentence, Porter emerged from the prison in 1901 and changed his name to O'Henry. According to some sources, he acquired the pseudonym from a warder called Orrin Henry.

O'Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York "World", also publishing in other magazines.

O'Henry's first collection, "Cabbages and Kings" appeared in 1904.

The second, "The Four Million" was published two years later and included his well-known stories "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Furnished Room." "The Trimmed Lamp" (1907) explored the lives of New Yorkers and included "The Last Leaf". "Heart of the West" (1907) presented tales of the Texas range.

O'Henry published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his life time.

O'Henrys last years were shadowed by alcoholism, ill health, and financial problems. He married in 1907 Sara Lindsay Coleman, but the marriage was not happy, and they separated a year later. O'Henry died of cirrhosis of the liver on June 5, 1910, in New York.
 

II 1. I ___ come if I had had time.

a) have b) would have c) did

2. Michael was born ..... 1962.

a) in b) at c) on

3. Jack Strom has been a postman all his life; he ..... mail to homes and offices to the people of the town.

a) has delivered b) has been delivering c) delivers

4. I ..... Mario for some time since he left Milan a few years ago.

a) haven’t seen b) don’t see c) didn't see

5. This building is very high. Actually it’s ..... building in the town.

a) more higher b) the highest c) higher

6. I don’t like Alice. She ..... about difficulties of life all the time.

a) complains b) is complaining c) has been complaining

7. I . . . . . him for ages.

a) didn’t see b) haven’t seen c) don’t saw

8. I taught ..... to play the guitar.

a) myself b) meself c) by myself

9. Traffic is a big problem in London which is full of people ..... homes and families can be located quite far away.

a) whose b) its c) their

10. A new supermarket is going to ... next year.

a) be built b) be building c) building

III Imagine that you are in London. Write what do you want to visit there.

Exam card 8

I THE CHURCH AND MUSIC

In colonial times, when the majority of the population was Protestant, most serious music was in the form of hymns because the Puritans always put religion first, even in their music. Although they did enjoy such entertainment as folk songs outside the church, most of the music in their lives was in the form of the psalms they sang at services.

Meanwhile, Negro slaves were allowed some religious expression and much of their music came out of their hymns. So black churches were developing their own gospel songs, blending African rhythms with religious texts.

More and more religious verses were sung to popular melodies, patriotic airs, and dance tunes. Such were the hymns sung at camp meetings in the late 1800s and early 1900s in isolated areas where there were no churches.

Those meetings, which went on for 4 or 5 days, featured rousing evangelical preaching, praying, and singing. The songs were revival hymns — simple, folklike, repetitious pieces that were often called spiritual songs and, later, spirituals. Negro religious songs, which blended African musical traditions with Christian themes, became known as spirituals, too, because of their similar use of repetition.

II 1. You should ______ your homework.

a) make b) do c) doing

2.  Is Jo ___________ Chris?

a) taller b) that
taller c) as tall as

3. ___________ to school yesterday?

a) Do you walk
 b) Did you walked
 c) Did you walk

4. There aren't ___________ people here.

a) much
 b) many c) some

5. I come ___________ England.

a) on b) from
 c) at

6. This house is quite old. It .... in 1910.

a) built b) was built c) build

7. He plays soccer, ..... ?

a) don't he? b) does he? c) doesn't he?

8. Has Mrs. Smith arrived ..... ?

a) yet b) still c) now

9. ..... is your house from here?

a) How much b) How long c) How far

10. You can watch TV ..... you like.

a) whenever b) soon c) always

III My last summer holidays

Exam card 8

I William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in the town of Strat-ford-upon-Avon. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove-maker and wool-dealer.

William went to the local free grammar school where he studied Latin. At the age of 18 Shakespeare married a local girl, Anne Hathaway.

We don't know exactly when Shakespeare went to London, maybe in 1584-1589. Probably his first play was "Titus Andronicus"( 1589/1590).

Shakespeare wrote history plays such as "Henry IV" and "Richard III", comedies such as "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "A Comedy of Errors". Shakespeare's early tragedy is "Romeo and Juliet".

Between 1600 and 1608 Shakespeare wrote his four great tragedies, "Hamlet" "Othello" "Macbeth" and "King Lear". It is the summit of Shakespeare's art.
"Hamlet" is probably the most popular, the best-known of all Shakespeare's plays. It is a very philosophical play. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is a highly intelligent person.

Hamlet's soliloquy is very famous: "To be, or not to be; that is the question..."

Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603 and was succeeded by James VI of Scotland, son of Mary Stuart. James, who became James I of England and Scotland, was a lover of the theatre.

Shakespeare wrote a tragedy "Macbeth" in which action passes in Scotland. In 1606 Shakespeare was a very mature and successful playwright. He had become a wealthy man.

In "King Lear" we see evil defeated. "King Lear" is the greatest of all Shakespeare's tragedies.

The story of an old king of England and his three daughters was not invented by Shakespeare. Shakespeare hardly ever invented the plot of his plays.

Between 1608 and 1613, Shakespeare wrote five plays: "Pericles" "Cymbeline" "The Winter's Tale" "The Tempest" and "Henry VIII" In "The Tempest" Shakespeare says farewell to the theatre, to his friends.

On June 29, 1613, the Globe theatre was destroyed in a fire. For Shakespeare and his colleagues it must have been a terrible time. The Globe was the greatest theatre in England.

Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616.

He wrote 38 plays and many poems.

II 1. I ___ come if I had had time.

a) have b) had c) would have

2. Michael was born ..... 1962.

a) in b) at c) on

3. Jack Strom has been a postman all his life; he ..... mail to homes and offices to the people of the town.

a) is delivering b) has been delivering c) delivers

4. I ..... Mario for some time since he left Milan a few years ago.

a) haven’t seen b) didn't see c) aren’t seeing

5. This building is very high. Actually it’s ..... building in the town.

a) more higher b) the highest c) higher

6. I don’t like Alice. She ..... about difficulties of life all the time.

a) complains b) is complaining c) has been complaining

7. My English . . . . . better.

a) gets b) is getting c) are getting

8. I taught ..... to play the guitar.

a) myself b) meself c) by myself

9. Traffic is a big problem in London which is full of people ..... homes and families can be located quite far away.

a) whose b) its c) their

10 A new supermarket is going to ... next year.

a) be built b) be building c) building

III Why do we learn English?

Exam card 9

I NEW YORK

New York, N. Y., is the post office designation of the largest metropolis in the United States. Officially it is the City of New York, and popularly it is called New York City.

The City of New York is situated at the mouth of the Hudson River, sometimes called the North River. The five boroughs comprising the city are: Manhattan, on the Manhattan Island between the Hudson and East Rivers; the Bronx, on the southernmost part of the mainland; Queens and Brooklyn, on Long Island, separated from Manhattan by East River; and Richmond on Staten Island in New York Bay.

The City of New York has always been in the center of political events. It witnessed the American Revolution; the Declaration of Independence was read to the American troops here on July 9, 1776, in the presence of George Washington. It was here on April 30, 1789, that Washington took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall.

Thanks to its geographical position and historical past, New York has grown into a big financial, commercial, and industrial center with the heart in the Borough of Manhattan. America's business and culture are in Manhattan. The Empire State Building, the World Trade Center, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Harlem, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Broadway — all these World famous sights are in Manhattan. What unites them is probably a small street, only a few blocks long, which is the financial center of the whole United States — Wall Street. It provides the nation with centralized credit and banking facilities. It is a sales place for securities; it is also one of the biggest money capitals of the world. Economic and financial power of the United States is concentrated in the buildings of Wall Street; in the Stock Exchange, one of the world's greatest; in the banks, among them the oldest in the city, the Bank of New York, founded in 1784.

II 1. At the moment, _________ an exercise in order to review the English verb tenses that I have learned.

a) I do b) I doing c) I'm doing

2.  I _______ to the cinema last night.

a) went b) gone c) go

3. Peter ______ here tomorrow

a) will be b) be c) is

4. Be quiet! I ____________.

a) am working b) work c) worked

5. I'm afraid I'm not hungry. I've _______ eaten lunch.

a) yet b) still c) already

6. _______ you ever ________ to Hollywood?

a) Did ... go b) Have .... go c) Have ... gone

7. This house is quite old. It .... in 1910.

a) built b) was built c) build

8. He plays soccer, ..... ?

a) don't he? b) does he? c) doesn't he?

9. ______ you like the film?

a) Did b) Do c) Were

10. I've never __________ to England.

 a) been b) gone c) being

III My last visit to the concert (museum)

Exam card 10

I Thanksgiving

Almost in every culture in the world there is a celebration of thanks for rich harvest. The American Thanksgiving began as a feast of thanksgiving almost four hundred years ago.

In 1620, a religious community sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. They settled in what is now known as the state of Massachusetts.

Their first winter in America was difficult. They arrived too late to grow a rich harvest. Moreover, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn. Indians showed them also how to grow other crops and how to hunt and fish.

In the autumn of 1621 they got a beautiful harvest of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins. The colonists had much to be thankful for, so they planned a feast. Local Indian chief and ninety Indians were present. The colonists learned from Indians how to cook cranberries and dishes of corn and pumpkins.

In following years many of the colonists celebrated the harvest with a feast of thanks. After the United States gained independence, Congress recommended one yearly day of thanksgiving for the whole country.

Later, George Washington suggested the date November 26 as Thanksgiving Day. Then, after the Civil war, Abraham Lincoln suggested the last Thursday in November to be the day of thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving Day, family members gather at the house of an older relative, even if they live far away. All give thanks for everything good they have. Charitable organizations offer traditional meal to the homeless.

The traditional thanksgiving meal consists of roast turkey stuffed with herb-flavoured bread, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. Other dishes may vary as to region: ham, sweet potatoes, creamed corn.

II 1. Great Britain consists of ..... parts.

a) three b) a three c) the three

2. Yesterday I did some shopping and ..... .

a) also I went to the bank b) I also went to the bank c) I went to the bank also

3. I saw Mrs Jones waiting ..... the bus stop.

a) in b) at c) on

4. You ….. have visited your parents.

a) should b) ought to c) could

5. Jake is a good footballer. Do you know since when ..... football?

a) he has been playing b) he plays c) has he been playing

6. While I ..... the dishes last night, I dropped a plate and broke it.

a) washed b) was washing c) had washed

7. . . . . . I come in?

a) Do b) Can c) Am

8. ..... riding Anna's bicycle in the forest?

a) Who did Nick see b) Who Nick saw c) Who saw Nick

9. I felt sorry for ..... because I didn’t get that job.

a) me b) myself c) by myself

10. I don't know what ..... doing there, do you?

a) there b) their c) they're

III Foreign languages in our life.

Exam card 11

I Christmas

Christmas is Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. For millions of Christians throughout the world it is the happiest and the busiest time of the year. No one knows the exact date of Christ's birth but most Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25. The word Christmas comes from Christes masse, an early English phrase that means Mass of Christ.

People of different countries celebrate Christmas in various ways. People in the United States and Canada decorate their homes with Christmas trees, wreaths and ornaments. City streets are filled with coloured lights; the sound of bells and Christmas carols can be heard everywhere.

Children write letters to Santa Claus and tell him what presents they would like to get. Many department stores hire people to wear a Santa Claus costume and listen to children's requests. People send Christmas cards to relatives and friends. Many companies give presents to their employees.

A Christmas tree is one of the main symbols of Christmas in most homes. Relatives and friends may join in trimming the tree with lights, tinsel, and colourful ornaments. Presents are placed under the tree. On Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, families open their presents.

Many children believe that Santa Claus arrives on Christmas Eve in a sleigh pulled by a reindeer and brings presents. Some children hang up stockings so Santa Claus can fill them with candy, fruit and other small gifts.

In many parts of the United States and Canada groups of people walk from house to house and sing Christmas carols. Some people give singers money or small gifts or invite them for a warm drink.

Many people attend church services on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. They listen to readings from Bible and singing Christmas carols.

A traditional Christmas dinner consists of stuffed turkey, ь mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and a variety of other dishes. Some families have ham or roast goose instead of turkey. Pumpkin pie, plum pudding, and fruitcake are favorite desserts.
 

II 1. I work ..... the city centre.

a) in b) at c) on

2. When I called her she ……… .

a) was sleeping b) slept c) is sleeping

3. I want to go to the cinema to see a film about ..... and the French.

a) France b) a France c) the France

4. I don’t like Alice. She is so. . . . . .

a) polite b) arrogant c) sweet

5. I enjoy . . . . . . abroad.

a) travelling b) to travel c) travel

6. Liza . . . . . . by the time I came there.

a) had left b) left c) has left

7 Jane ... to phone me last night, but she didn’t.

a) supposed b) is supposed c) was supposed

8. Are you interested _____ singing?

a) of b) on c) in

9. The washing-up . . . . . by my aunt

a) does b) is done c) has done

10. She is . . . . . . girl I have ever seen.

a) beautiful b) more beautiful c) the most beautiful

III Television in my life.

Exam card 12

I THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

One of the most famous attractions in New York City is the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Museum founded in 1870 by a group of civic leaders, financiers, industrialists, and art collectors, moved to its present location in Central Park in 1880.

Today the Metropolitan is the largest museum of art in the Western Hemisphere. It occupies 1.4 million square feet, extending from 80th to 84th Streets on Fifth Avenue. Its collections include more than two million works of art from prehistoric through modern times and from all areas of the world.

The Museum's holdings in European art are unparalleled outside Europe. In addition to one of the world's great collections of European paintings, the Metropolitan has outstanding collections of Medieval art and architecture, and of prints, photographs, drawings, costumes, musical instruments, sculpture, and decorative arts from the Renaissance through the 20th century.

In 1946 Gertrude Stein, the American writer, who was a resident of France, bequeathed to the Metropolitan her portrait by Pablo Picasso, who had been represented in the Museum's collections since 1923. She wanted her portrait to be viewed within the context of the history of world art and in a gallery of national stature in New York City.

The Metropolitan's collections of Asian art are extensive, and its Islamic collection is the largest in existence. The wing in the south end of the building houses an impressive collection of African and Oceanic art as well as that from Native North and South America.

The educational function of the Museum is implicit in every facet of the Museum's endeavors. The Metropolitan's monthly "Calendar" provides a handy index to the many ongoing programs and activities.

II 1. She … extremely pretty.


a) were
 b) being
 c) was

2.  She … big hazel eyes with puffy eyelashes.


a) had
 b) had have
 c) have

3. She had excellent figure with … slender legs. 


a) long 
 b) tall
 c) big

4. What ___________ at the moment?

a) are you do b) do you doing c) are you doing

5. Last summer I ______ in Spain.

a) did spend b) spend c) spent

6. When I ______, she ___________.

a) was coming, was sleeping b) came, slept c) came, was sleeping

7. My father always reads newspapers ____________.

a) the morning
 b) in the morning
 c) on the morning

8. I think he _______you tomorrow

a) will call b) calls c) is calling

9. I ________ milk yesterday.

a) didn’t bought b) didn’t buy c) don’t buy

10. _______ you drink coffee every day?

a) Does b) Did c) Do

III Tell about your hobby

Exam card 13

I Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest composers in Western musical history. More than 1,000 of his compositions survive. He came from a family of musicians. There were over 53 musicians in his family over a period of 300 years. Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany in 1685. His father was a talented violinist. When his parents died, he was only 10 years old. He went to stay with his older brother, Johann Christoph, who was a professional organist, and continued his younger brother's musical education. After several years in this arrangement, Johann Sebastian won a scholarship to study in Luneberg, Northern Germany. A master of several instruments while still in his teens, Johann Sebastian first found employment at the age of 18 as a 'lackey and violinist' in a court orchestra in Weimar; and soon after he took the job of an organist at a church in Arnstadt.

He married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach and assumed the post of organist and concertmaster in the ducal chapel in Weimar. He remained there for nine years, and composed his first major works, including organ showpieces and cantatas. By this stage in his life, Bach had developed a reputation as a brilliant musical talent. His proficiency on the organ was unequaled in Europe, and he toured regularly.

His growing mastery of compositional forms, like the fugue and the canon, was already attracting interest from the musical establishment, which, in his day, was the Lutheran church. But, like many people of uncommon talent, he was never very good at playing the political game, and therefore suffered periodic setbacks in his career. When his wife died, he remarried and had 11 children in both marriages. Several of these children would become fine composers. After conducting and composing for the court orchestra at Cothen for seven years, Bach was offered the highly prestigious post of cantor (music director) of St. Thomas' Church in Leipzig. Bach remained at his post in Leipzig until his death in 1750.

He was creatively active until the very end, even after cataract problems virtually blinded him in 1740. His last musical composition, a chorale prelude entitled 'Before Thine Throne, My God, I Stand', was dictated to his son-in-law only days before his death.

II 1. Look! Andy __________in the garden.

a) am working b) are working c) is working

2.  I was very ____ in the story.

a) interests b) interesting c) interested

3. I ____ television now.

a) are watching b) am watched c) am watching

4. John is the ____ in the class.

a) taller b) more tall c) tallest

5. How __________ does it take you to get to work?

a) much b) long c) fast

6. If you ____ the box, you will find a present.

a) are opening b) opened c) open

7. _______ it help you?

a) Was b) Did c) Were

8. I __________ him yet.

a) had seen b) haven’t seen c) hasn’t seen

9. If __________ help me, we'll go to the cinema.

a) you would b) you will c) you

10. I've no idea where __________ .

a) what to do b) that to do c) doing

III Tell about Ukraine

Exam card 14