I English Traditions.
If you arrive in Great Britain you'll hear the word “tradition” everywhere. Englishmen have sentimental love for things and traditions. They never throw away old things.
In many houses in Great Britain they have fire-places and though their bedrooms are awfully cold, the English people do not want to have central heating because they do not want to have changes.
Therefore the Yeomen-Warders are dressed in traditional medieval clothes and the traditional dress of the Horse Guards regiment has existed since the twelfth century.
In the House of Lords of the British Parliament there are two rows of benches for lords and a sack of wool for the Lord Chancellor to sit on it. This is so because in the old times wool made England rich and powerful. In the House of Commons you will see two rows of benches for the two parties: the government on one side and the opposition — on the other. In front of the benches there is the strip on a carpet and when a member speaking in the House puts his foot beyond that strip, there is a shout “Order!”. This dates from the time when the members had swords on them and during the discussion might want to start fighting. The word “order” reminded them that no fighting was allowed in the House.
Another old custom remains from the time when there were a lot of robbers in London. In those days the shouting “Who goes home?” was often heard in the Houses of Parliament and the members went in groups along the dark narrow streets of the old city. In modem London with its well-lit streets the shouting “Who goes home?” is still heard.
II 1. I read books ___ the evenings.
a) in b) on c) at
2. We _____ dance all night.
a) do can b) not can c) can
3. Where were you born? I ________ in Madrid.
a) were born b) was borne c) was born
4. This film is _________ than "Titanic"
a) more interesting b) interesting c) most interesting
5. They ______ five years ago.
a) have met b) met c) did met
6. It was nice _____ you.
a) to meet b) on meeting c) to meeting
7. I cut myself when I ______.
a) shaved b) was shaving c) is shaving
8. You _____ show your identity card before you come in.
a) must b) might c) should
9. I want ______ at home tonight.
a) stayed b) to stay c) staying
10. This time next month I _______ lectures at a university.
a) will be attending b) will attend c) attend
III Art in our life
Exam card 15
I Seasons
It is very nice in spring. The sky is often blue. The sun shines brightly in the sky. It is warm. It sometimes rains, but the rain is warm and pleasant. Spring is a hard time for those who live in the country. There is a lot of work to do in the fields. Sometimes people are busy from morning till night. Tractors work in the fields day and night. Children do not work in the fields. They go to school. They should work hard at the end of the school year.
Summer is as nice as spring. The sun shines brightly. It is warm and sometimes hot. It is warmer and hotter than in spring. The days are longer than in spring. The longest day of the year is the 22nd of June. In summer children do not go to school. They have summer holidays. They often help fathers and mothers on a farm. There is always a lot of work there in this season. Summer is a pleasant season. There is a lot of fruit and vegetables at that time. Some people like summer best of all.
After summer autumn comes. The days are shorter than in summer. The weather is not so pleasant as in spring and in summer. II often rains. The rain is cold and not pleasant at all. In September, the first autumn month, the school year begins in our country. Autumn is the season of fruit and vegetables. It is the hardest time for country people. They should work hard in the fields. Children always help them with fruit and vegetables in autumn. November is the coldest month in autumn. It sometimes rains and it often snows.
Winter is the coldest season in the year. Sometimes the weather is pleasant. It often snows. Some people like when it snows. There is a lot of snow on the ground. The snow is clean and white. The ground is all white with snow. It is pleasant to walk when it is not very cold and it snows. The best holidays in winter are the New Year and Christmas.
II 1. She never thinks ______ herself
a) at b) about c) on
2. _______ come to our party on Tuesday?
a) you can b) can you c) can you to
3. I _____ a nice statuette last week.
a) buy b) bought c) has bought
4. Would you like ______ water?
a) an b) some c) a
5. Life is getting ______ every day.
a) better b) good c) best
6. Is Father busy now? Yes, he _______ to the postman.
a) is talking b) talks c) talk
7. ___________ a webmaster when I grow up.
a) am going to be b) am going to c) am going be
8. I _________ to France.
a) has never been b) never was c) have never been
9. What did you _____ him?
a) tell to b) said to c) tell
10. I'm looking ____ a job.
a) for b) of c) with
III Ways of Being Successful
Exam card 16
I Agatha Christie.
Agatha Christie was sure the world's best selling crime writer. Moreover, she was an immensely prolific writer. 79 shot stories, 4 non-fiction ones and that strange woman wrote 19 plays. They were translated into 136 languages. Over 3 billion books by Agatha Christie were sold worldwide. She is popular for ingenuity of plots, which are classical murder mysteries: marooned places and a well-mannered murderer. Her way to present the stories was quite definite from that of her colleagues. At first her stories appealed to the readers' detective inside, so you can't find much blood and violence in her stories.
Agatha Christie created two major characters for her stories. Hercule Poirot, a Belgian, used to work in the Police, but by the time of the action he was already retired. He can be described as a funny little man taken by many readers as a comic. He had luxurious moustaches and he was really proud of them.
Miss Marple was absolutely opposite to Poirot. She wasn't a professional and had never been one. She was just an old spinster, very modest but perceptive and not a flamboyant personality, who acted as a detective just by virtue of taking thought.
Agatha Christie's favourite way of murdering was by poisoning. She accurately described the process because she had learned a lot about poisons and other chemicals during World War II, while working in a hospital.
The reader has to solve the mystery and decide who the murderer is hand-in-hand with the author. Most of the crimes were committed in some closed surroundings with a limited number of people to suspect. Finally the identity of the murderer is revealed and a hooked reader starts looking for another book by Agatha Christie.
Agatha Christie lived between 1890 and 1976. She started writing stories at a very early age, at first to entertain herself. However, she managed to become famous. Not many people know that she used to write under a pen-name of Mary Westmacott. Later, already being a world-known writer, she tried to avoid publicity and stayed out of public eye.
II 1. I like ________ TV.
a) watching b) look c) looking
2. I ______ breakfast every morning.
a) am have b) having c) have
3. _________ any orange juice?
a) is there b) are there c) there is
4. _______ have a sandwich?
a) I can b) am I c) can I
5. We ______ always stay at home.
a) doesn't b) not c) don't
6. She ____ play the piano.
a) can to b) do can c) can
7. Where _________ yesterday?
a) you were b) you was c) were you
8. Her brother is ______ than me.
a) tallest b) more taller c) taller
9. ______ sushi?
a) have you eaten ever b) have you ever eaten c) did you ever eat
10. I would like _____ to the beach.
a) going b) go c) to go
III My favorite artist
Exam card 17
I English Traditions.
If you arrive in Great Britain you'll hear the word “tradition” everywhere. Englishmen have sentimental love for things and traditions. They never throw away old things.
In many houses in Great Britain they have fire-places and though their bedrooms are awfully cold, the English people do not want to have central heating because they do not want to have changes.
Therefore the Yeomen-Warders are dressed in traditional medieval clothes and the traditional dress of the Horse Guards regiment has existed since the twelfth century.
In the House of Lords of the British Parliament there are two rows of benches for lords and a sack of wool for the Lord Chancellor to sit on it. This is so because in the old times wool made England rich and powerful. In the House of Commons you will see two rows of benches for the two parties: the government on one side and the opposition — on the other. In front of the benches there is the strip on a carpet and when a member speaking in the House puts his foot beyond that strip, there is a shout “Order!”. This dates from the time when the members had swords on them and during the discussion might want to start fighting. The word “order” reminded them that no fighting was allowed in the House.
Another old custom remains from the time when there were a lot of robbers in London. In those days the shouting “Who goes home?” was often heard in the Houses of Parliament and the members went in groups along the dark narrow streets of the old city. In modem London with its well-lit streets the shouting “Who goes home?” is still heard.
II 1. Theatre is a novel ___ W. Somerset Maugham
a) with b) at c) by
2. She _______ dinner when the door suddenly opened.
a) were cooking b) was cooking c) cooked
3. I _____ pay you back on Monday, I promise!
a) will b) would c) will to
4. He _______ to work in the office.
a) mustn't b) don't have c) doesn't have
5. If I fail my exams, I ________ to take them again in the autumn.
a) will have b) am going c) have
6. When we ______ at the post office, it had been already closed.
a) have arrived b) arrived c) had arrived
7. This time tomorrow she ______ her last exam.
a) takes b) will take c) will be taking
8. I didn't go _____ last night.
a) anywhere b) somewhere c) nowhere
9. I’m not watching TV. You can turn it ____.
a) on b) out c) off
10. What time ________ work?
a) does he starts b) he starts c) does he start
III My favorite subject
Exam card 18
I Jack London (1876-1916).
The novelist and short-story writer Jack London was, in his lifetime, one of the most popular authors in the world. After World War I his fame was eclipsed in the United States by a new generation of writers, but he remained popular in many other countries, especially in the Soviet Union, for his romantic tales of adventure mixed with elemental struggles for survival.
John Griffith London was born in San Francisco on Jan. 12, 1876. His family was poor, and he was forced to go to work early in life to support himself. At 17 he sailed to Japan and Siberia on a seal-hunting voyage. He was largely self-taught, reading voluminously in libraries and spending a year at the University of California. In the late 1890s he joined the gold rush to the Klondike. This experience gave him material for his first book, 'The Son of Wolf', published in 1900, and for 'Call of the Wild' (1903), one of his most popular stories.
In his writing career of 17 years, London produced 50 books and many short stories. He wrote mostly for money, to meet ever-increasing expenses. His fame as a writer gave him a ready audience as a spokesman for a peculiar and inconsistent blend of socialism and racial superiority.
London's works, all hastily written, are of uneven quality. The best books are the Klondike tales, which also include 'White Fang' (1906) and 'Burning Daylight' (1910). His most enduring novel is probably the autobiographical 'Martin Eden' (1909), but the exciting 'Sea Wolf' (1904) continues to have great appeal for young readers.
In 1910 London settled near Glen Ellen, Calif., where he intended to build his dream home, "Wolf House." After the house burned down before completion in 1913, he was a broken and sick man. His death on Nov. 22, 1916, from an overdose of drugs, was probably a suicide.
II 1. I read books ___ the evenings.
a) in b) on c) at
2. We _____ dance all night.
a) do can b) not can c) can
3. Where were you born? I ________ in Madrid.
a) were born b) was borne c) was born
4. This film is _________ than "Titanic"
a) more interesting b) interesting c) most interesting
5. They ______ five years ago.
a) have met b) met c) did met
6. It was nice _____ you.
a) to meet b) on meeting c) to meeting
7. I cut myself when I ______.
a) shaved b) was shaving c) is shaving
8. You _____ show your identity card before you come in.
a) must b) might c) should
9. I want ______ at home tonight.
a) stayed b) to stay c) staying
10. This time next month I _______ lectures at a university.
a) will be attending b) will attend c) attend
III Books in my life
Exam card 19
I Dancing and its role in the world culture
There are various elements in a country’s culture, such as music, drama and dancing. These activities fulfill people’s daily life and make the culture to become unique and colorful. Among these activities, dancing plays a very important role in a culture. I assert the statement due to three reasons as follows.
Firstly, dancing is one of the ways for people to communicate. Before human being can use language to communicate with each other, body language such as gesture is a good way to express what they want to say. Gradually, dancing has become a very important way for people to show their feelings. For example, dancing in celebrations can express feelings such as happiness, love or grief.
Secondly, dancing also reflects the diversity of a nation. There are different kinds of dances in different cultures. For instance, Flamenco is a famous dance in Span, and it reflects the culture of Span and the characteristics of the Spanish people. In many cultures, dancing has even become an integral part of their culture. Understanding the dancing of a country helps people to understand the culture of that country.
Thirdly, dancing can help create a lot of wonderful music. Dancing and music cannot be separated. When people dance, they usually need appropriate music to company. Tchaikovsky is one of the greatest composers in the world, and his famous work "Swan Lake" is created for the ballet. We almost can say that the ballet dancing gave Tchaikovsky inspirations to write the music. Of course, other activities are all important for a culture. However, I especially mention dancing because the valid reasons I have present above.
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 My last visit to the theatre
Exam card 20