Exam Card 11

 Reading 

 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

PYTHAGORAS*

        Pythagoras¹ is often described as a very important mathematician, yet we know little about his achievements. What we do know is that he was the leader of a society which was half scientific and half religious. It was a secret society and today Pythagoras is still a mysterious figure.

          It is believed that Pythagoras was born on the Greek island of Samos. His father was a merchant, and as a child, Pythagoras travelled with him selling their goods. Pythagoras was well educated. He learned music and poetry and had three philosophers to teach him who introduced Pythagoras to mathematics and advised him to travel to Egypt to learn more about mathematics and astronomy. So in 535 BC, Pythagoras travelled to Egypt where he visited many temples and took part in discussions with priests. Many of the customs he learnt in Egypt he came to adopt. For example, the Egyptian priests refused to eat beans and wear animal skins, as did Pythagoras later in his life.

          In 525 BC the King of Persia invaded Egypt. Pythagoras was taken prisoner and was transported to Babylon. It was here, taught by the Babylonians, that he reached perfection in arithmetic and music. When Pythagoras returned to Samos he founded there a school which was called ‘The Semicircle’. It seems that the people of Samos did not appreciate the teaching methods of Pythagoras and they treated him rudely and improperly. Furthermore, they wanted to involve Pythagoras in local politics against his will. For these reasons, he went to Italy.

       Pythagoras believed that numbers rule the universe and that numbers are present in all things. He also connected mathematics to music and recognized the healing power of music. He used it as a kind of therapy to help those who were ill. Another of his beliefs was that there are three types of men: those who love wisdom, those who love honour and those who love wealth.

         Pythagoras was a mathematician, an astronomer, and a philosopher. Today we remember him best for his famous geometry theorem, known as Pythagoras’ theorem.²

¹ Pythagoras [paɪˈθæɡərəs] Пифагор

² Pythagoras’ theorem [paɪˈθæɡərəsɪz ˈθɪərəm] теорема Пифагора

2.  Where did Pythagoras go to learn mathematics and astronomy? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3.  Why did Pythagoras go to Italy?

4.  What are the three types of men according to Pythagoras?

Listening

II. Listen to the interview with Mr Ron Cansler taken by the “Youth Magazine” and answer the questions below.

1.  How old is Mr Cansler?

2.  What kind of life did he have when he was young?

3.  What does he recommend listeners to do?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about the mass media

Exam Card 10

 Reading 

 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

WHAT IS A GOOD FAMILY?

Building a successful family is like building a house. Both need a plan. The best way to be organised as a family is to talk about family matters. By doing this, families enjoy a special closeness and stability. Choosing to spend time with your family sends a message more powerful than words.

How much time should families spend together? That varies from family to family. Families with young children usually spend most of their time together because young children need a great deal of physical care and guidance. Families with teenagers may spend less time together because teens naturally want to spend more time with their friends. Healthy families keep a good balance between ‘too much’ and ‘not enough’ time together. They spend enough time to satisfy all family members.

Nothing unites a family more than its traditions which include different norms, ways of behavior, customs and views. In united families these traditions are deep-rooted and passed from generation to generation.

Strong families take time to be together and talk to one another. They share their hopes and dreams, feelings and concerns over common meals. Members of successful families feel they really belong to their family. They celebrate their victories and help each other learn from their mistakes. They do their household chores together and go to the theatre. At the same time, strong families adapt relationships and family rules when needs arise. Since no family knows what tomorrow will bring, being adaptive is a good trait for family members to develop.

Recent studies affirm the importance of love in families. Research shows that expressions of affection towards children reduce behaviour problems and help children’s development. Strong families notice and share positive aspects of each member. They notice the talents, skills and achievements, special qualities and characteristics that make the other person unique. They find ways to be positive even when another family member makes a mistake and make an effort to develop closeness and show love at home.

2.  The author explains what makes a successful family. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3.  What makes a family united?

4.  How much time should family members spend together?

Listening

II. Listen to the girl speaking about her eating habits and answer the questions below.

1.  What problem does the girl have?

2.  Why is it a harmful habit?

3.  Why can’t she stop eating chocolate?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about youth and society

Exam Card 9

 Reading 

 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

AN INTERVIEW

Journalist: Do people in your country depend a lot on technology for communication?

Businessman: Yes. Everybody’s using all kinds of phones, mobiles and internet services. I think the benefits of the computers cannot be denied. They save valuable time and space. Time­consuming tasks such as checking bank accounts can now be done in a matter of minutes and a large volume of information is economically stored on tiny disks. In addition, with immediate access to the Internet, we can always keep ­up with global and current issues and explore the world from the comfort of our homes.

Journalist: Do you manage to keep up with the development of technologies?

Businessman: I think the fact that methods in business have moved ahead at such speed has meant that we generally have to keep up with it all, whether we want to or not. Otherwise, we’ll be left behind. In fact this need to keep up has also entered the home, where a lot of people spend much money on computer equipment when all they do is play games.

Journalist: How different would everyday life be without technological means of communication?

Businessman: Of course, life would be very different without all these means of communication. For those working in the world of business, life would be much more difficult as it would take much longer to get in touch with other companies and to come to agreement on important matters. Basically, if we didn’t have email systems at home or mobile phones, etc., it wouldn’t be the end of the world. I mean, we survived before, didn’t we?

Journalist: How do you feel about mobile phones?

Businessman: I personally find them useful and necessary. They’re convenient if there’s an emergency on a business trip or when you’re in the middle of nowhere or need to contact the police or your family for example. Though, I do feel that they are overused in many cases. Think about how many people spend hours just chatting about silly, unimportant things or looking through sites for no special reason even at work.

2.  What are the benefits of the computers? Read aloud the extract which says about them.

3.  How do businessmen benefit from using technological means of communication at their workplace?

4.  When are technological means of communication misused?

Listening

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1.  Where does the action take place?

2.  What happened to the furniture in the grandmother’s room?

3.  Why were Martin and his friend scared?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about your family

Exam Card 8

 Reading 

 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

GREAT GRANDAD

It was a funny, surprising thing that brought Grandad back to me. It was algebra. I couldn’t cope with algebra in my first year at secondary school, and it made me mad. “I don’t see the point of it,” I screamed. “I don’t know what it’s for!”

Grandad, as it turned out, liked algebra and he sat opposite me and didn’t say anything for a while, considering my problem in that careful expressionless way of his.

Eventually he said, “Why do you do PE¹ at school?”

“What?”

“PE. Why do they make you do it?”

“Because they hate us?” I suggested.

“And the other reason?”

“To keep us fit, I suppose.”

“Physically fit, yes.”

He reached across the table and put the first two fingers of each hand on the sides of my head.

“There is also mental fitness, isn’t there? I can explain to you why algebra is useful. But that is not what algebra is really for.”

He moved his fingers gently on my head.

“It’s to keep what is in here healthy. PE is for the head. And the great thing is you can do it sitting down. Now, let us use these little puzzles here to take our brains for a jog.”²

And it worked. Not that I fell in love with algebra. But I did come to see that it was possible to enjoy it. Grandad taught me that maths signs and symbols were not just marks on paper. They were not flat. There were three­dimensional, and you could approach them from different directions. You could take them apart and put them together in a variety of shapes, like Lego. I stopped being afraid of them.

I didn’t know it at the time, of course, but those homework sessions helped me to discover my Grandad. Algebra turned out to be the key that opened the invisible door he lived behind and let me in.

Now I learnt that Grandad’s world was full of miracles and mazes³, mirrors and misleading signs. He was fascinated by riddles and codes and labyrinths, by the origin of place names, by grammar, by slang, by jokes – although he never laughed at them – by anything that might mean something else. I discovered My Grandad.

¹ PE [ˌpiːiː] физкультура

² take our brains for a jog [ˈteɪk əʊə ˈbreɪnz fər əˈdʒɒɡ] шевелить мозгами

³ maze- путаница, лабиринт

2.  The author says she had problems with algebra. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3.  How did the girl's granddad help her understand the subject?

4.  What else did the author learn about her Grandad?

Listening

II. Listen to the member of the Greenpeace organisation telling a story about whales and answer the questions below.

1.  Why were the whales on the beach?

2.  How did the people help them?

3.  How did this event affect the story-teller’s life?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about future career

Exam Card 7

 Reading 

 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

THE CONDEMNED ROOM¹

Dear Mom,

I am working very hard on cleaning my room. But I want to go to Katy’s this afternoon to work on our Halloween costumes. Can I finish tomorrow? I would get up early and do it before breakfast and I’ll do a good job. Please, write back.

Love, The Prisoner in Tower # 3

Dear Prisoner, No.

Love, Mom.

For days Sam’s mother never came up to her room. And then one day Sam would come home from school and find the Condemned sign on her door. Her mother had made the sign. It said: “The room is condemned. Its owner may not go anywhere or do anything until the area is restored”. In other words, Sam was to stay in until she cleaned her room.

It wasn’t fair. She was always getting the Condemned sign. Her brother hardly ever did. And his room was really disgusting, with posters of rock stars and basketball stars and movie stars wearing tiny bikinis covering every inch of his walls. But, her mother pointed out, his floor was clean and his desk as well. That was all she cared about.

Sam had been in her room for three hours now. She sat on the floor, looking at everything she was supposed to be putting away. It was possible she might be there all day. There were her clothes, lying high on her chair and overflowing onto the floor. Dirty shoes. An umbrella from when it rained on Tuesday. Library books. Magazines with pictures of cool teen­movie stars that Rebecca had given her. Her piano music from yesterday’s lesson. And different little things: nail polish remover, cotton balls, a tennis­ball, a note pad from Katy, rocks from rock collection they were making for science, pencils, chewing gum. And about twelve dirty handkerchiefs.

The thing to do, Sam decided, was sort everything into piles. A pile of dirty laundry, a pile of her dresser drawers, a pile to throw away. That was how her father, the organization man, would do it. She sighed. It was impossible to imagine she couldn’t leave her room all week­end. She decided to paint her finger nails instead.

¹ condemned room [kəndemd ˈruːm] комната, признанная небезопасной для проживания

2.  The author tells us about her brother’s room. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3.  What made Sam’s Mum write a message?

4.  Is Sam going to clean the room? Why do you think so?

Listening

II. Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1.  Where was Tina going?

2.  What happened at the airport?

3.  Why was Tina scared during the flight?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about Art

Exam Card 6

 Reading 

 1. Read the story and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

CHRISTMAS TREE

           Just before Christmas in 1944, a letter arrived at our house in Philadelphia. The postmark was from Tuskegee, Alabama, so we all knew who it was from. We excitedly gathered around Mother as she opened it.

                  My Dear Mother,

                I did not get the leave I expected for Christmas. I will miss all of you. Please leave the Christmas tree up until I make it back. I hope to be home by March.

               Love from your son,

              Clifton.

              I was 17 years old at the time. My heart sank. I felt a deep sadness that my favourite brother would not be home for Christmas. He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and was responsible for maintaining the airplanes flying off to fight in World War II. My mother, being the optimist, said, “Well, it looks like we’ll get to have two Christmases this year!” After Christmas, my sister and I worked together to make sure we kept that Christmas tree looking as pretty as possible. This was no easy feat.

            By mid­January, the branches dropped so low to the ground that they became a sliding board for the decorations. Each day, ornaments would come crashing to the ground and there were brand new pine needles all over the wooden floor. My sister and I took turns sweeping them up. We moved the ornaments to the stronger branches on the tree, hoping they would stay on.

              Each time we freshened that tree up, my sister and I were full of thoughts about Clifton and how happy we would be to see him again. It made us feel that he was close by, even though he was hundreds of miles away. On March 5, the doorbell rang. We ran to the door and gave Clifton a big hug. As he hugged Mother, I could see him looking over her head at the Christmas tree.

                “It’s beautiful,” he said. “Thank you.” Clifton opened his presents and told us all sorts of stories about his work in Tuskegee. That night as we slept, we heard a crash in the living room. We all ran to see what had happened. The tree had toppled onto the sofa and there were needles and broken ornaments everywhere.

                  We all had a good laugh. It was fortunate that Clifton got!

 Tuskegee Airmen [tʌsˈkiːeəmən] пилоты из Таскиги
 to maintain [meɪnˈteɪn] обслуживать, готовить
 a pine needle [ˈpaɪnˌ niːdl] сосновая иголка
 to topple [ˈtɒpl] опрокинуться, свалиться


2. The family got a message from Clifton. Find the extract which says about it and read it aloud.
3. What was Clifton’s job?
4. Which facts show that all the family loved Clifton very much?

Listening

II. Listen to three teenagers talking about homework and answer the questions below.

1. Why does the first speaker dislike doing homework?
2. What does the second speaker regret about?
3. What are the benefits of doing homework according to the third speaker?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about Science and Technology

Exam Card 5

 Reading 

 1. Read the article and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

BE KIND AND STAY SAFE

            Everybody knows that we should be polite and kind to people in real life and online. Unfortunately this doesn’t always happen. Where can you report online abuse or unkind messages to yourself or your friends? Do you know how to report and complain about harmful information online? For example, if you see an inappropriate tweet on Twitter you can click on ‘more’ and then choose ‘Report tweet’. You can then block all further tweets from that user.

         Even celebrities can be cyberbullied. Tom Daley, the British Olympic diver, was abused online. His father died during the 2012 Olympic Games and Tom received some very cruel tweets about his indifference towards his father’s health.

             Here are our top tips for staying safe online:

             1. Be nice! Treat people online as you do in real life.

             2. Don’t post anything online that you wouldn’t want people in real life to see.

           3. Check your privacy and security settings on social media sites and keep them as private as possible. Make sure you know exactly who can see your posts.

           4. Don’t ever post personal information like your home address, your email or your phone number.

           5. If you see something online that worries or upsets you, tell an adult about it straight away.

             6. Take part in Safer Internet Day.

           Safer Internet Day, or SID for short, tries to help people to use the Internet correctly. SID started in 2004 and is organised in February every year in 74 countries around the world to promote safe and responsible use of online technology and mobile phones. Each year there is a different topic such as cyberbullying or social networking. The focus for SID’s next campaign is “Let’s create a better internet together”. SID organisers want children and young people, parents and teachers, as well as industry and politicians to work together to build a better internet for all of us, but particularly for children.

          There are special lessons prepared for schoolchildren on Safer Internet Day in Britain. You can find out about SID on this website: http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/.

abuse [əˈbjuːs] оскорбление

to be cyberbullied [ˈsaɪbəbʊlɪd] быть преследуемым в киберпространстве

1. The journalist writes how to stop bad messages on Twitter. Find this extract and read it aloud.
3. What can we do to stay safe online?
4. Why is SID a good way to stop abuse on the Internet?

Listening

II. Listen to conversation and answer the questions below.

1. Where does the conversation take place?
2. What is the man interested in?
3. How much do you need to pay monthly?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about Great Britain.

Exam Card 2

 Reading 

 1. Read the newspaper opinion column and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

UNESCO World Heritage List  

            Belarus joined UNESCO in 1954. During many years, Belarus has been building up fruitful and dynamic relations with international organizations. Belarus programme of UNESCO activities includes numerous interesting projects in the fields of education, science, information, communications, and, of course, culture. In October 1988, Belarus joined the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Today 4 Belarus sites have already been included into the UNESCO World Heritage List.

            In 1992, the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, a natural heritage object and a unique European forest reserve which has been protected since the 14th century, was the first one to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

          In 2000, the Mir Castle Complex, which was built at the beginning of the 16th century, was also added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The successful combination of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture makes Mir Castle one of Europe’s most impressive castles. In 2005, two more sites were included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are the Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwills in Nesvizh and the Struve Geodetic Arc points3.

            For centuries the Nesvizh Palace used to be the residence of the Radziwills, one of the richest families in Europe. Today the National Historical and Cultural Museum­ Reserve Nesvizh is a wonderfully restored castle, which is visited by hundreds of tourists from all parts of the world. No wonder, it has become a landmark of Belarus.

             The Struve Arc is a world famous construction. The same sorts of points are in 10 countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, all together 265 points. According to the historical data, there were 31 geodesic points in Belarus, and only 19 survived.

              Belarus is going to propose to add Independence Avenue in Minsk for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Socialist Postwar Architecture in Central and Eastern Europe.

heritage [ˈheritidʒ] наследие
Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture [ˈgoθɪk, bəˈrok, rɪˈneɪsəns ˈɑːkɪtektʃə]
the Struve Geodetic Arc points [ˈstruːv ˌdʒiːəʊˈdetɪk ˈɑːk ˈpɔɪnts] Геодезическая дуга Струве, представляющая собой цепь опорных пунктов наблюдения

2. Belarus is a member of UNESCO: Find this extract and read it aloud.
3. Which Belarusians sites are included on the list for protection?
4. What other sites does Belarusian government want to be on the UNESCO List?

Listening 

II. Listen to the speaker speaking about choosing a career and answer the questions below.
1. Why is choosing the right job very important?
2. Which jobs are popular among young people at present?
3. What advice does the speaker give?

Speaking 

III. Let’s talk about education.

Exam Card 1

 Reading 

 1. Read the newspaper opinion column and say in 2—3 sentences what it is about.

    Are you proud of being Belarusian?

             I am Belarusian because my parents who gave me life and brought me up are Belarusian. And what if I were born in a different country on a different continent? In my opinion, a sense of pride in your country, a sense of belonging to a particular nation develops in a person with time. Therefore at my age, by the way I am 18, I can say quite positively, that I am proud to live in Belarus.

              The real treasure of Belarus is its wonderful nature. The country has hundreds of wild forests, rolling hills, green valleys, sweet­scented meadows and golden fields. Beloveshzkaya Pushcha is the only place where you can meet mighty European bison in the wild. Belarus is also famous for its clear lakes and ribbon­like rivers, that’s why it’s called a blue­eyed one. The resorts of lakes Naroch and Braslav are open all year round and let tourists experience the unforgettable peaceful atmosphere.

               I am proud of the rich heroic history of my country and its people. Although for many centuries we were part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-­Lithuanian Commonwelth and then the Russian Empire, we have managed to stay united and haven’t lost our uniqueness. Many foreigners admit that our people are extremely sociable, hospitable, and generous and we are welcoming with visitors. We are also described as resourceful and peaceful. When socializing, Belarusians are open, warm­hearted, fun­loving, humorous and outgoing in spite of all the difficulties they face in their life.

               Of course I’m proud of our national holidays and traditions, especially those which are deep­rooted and typical of our nation such as Kalyady, Maslenitsa, Dazhynki. They are unique and make us stand out. Besides, they are of particular interest for tourists because they reflect our culture.

               In conclusion, I’d like to say that I’m proud of my country and its people. Each time I go abroad I tell foreigners about our great past and achievements. Each time I leave the country I want to come back again, because I miss it. If I could draw I would start drawing pictures with its beautiful landscapes; if I could write I would write lyric poems about it. Belarus is the place my heart will always belong to!

____________________
although - хотя; несмотря на то, что
therefore - по этой причине; поэтому
besides - кроме того
in spite of - несмотря на 

the Grand Duchy of Lithuania [ˈɡrænd ˈdʌtʃɪ əv ˌlɪθjʊˈeɪnɪə] Великое Княжество Литовское

the Polish-­Lithuanian Commonwelth [ˈpəʊlɪʃ ˌlɪθjʊˈeɪnɪən ˈkɒmənwelθ] Речь Посполитая – федерация Королевства Польского и Великого Княжества Литовского
the Russian Empire [ˈrʌʃn ˈempaɪə] Российская империя

2. When did the author understand that he/she is proud of being Belarusian? Find this extract and read it aloud.
3. What makes the author be proud of his/her Motherland?
4. What would the author do if he/she were a creative person?

Flash Card Deck created by Veronika Bebekh with GoConqr

Listening

II. Listen to the story about a girl and answer the questions below.

1. Why was Whitney worried about going to college?
2. How did she find a friend?
3. What lesson did Whitney learn?

Speaking

III. Let’s talk about the accomodation.