II. Вставьте артикль, где необходимо.

II. Вставьте артикль, где необходимо.

1.... forecast promises such... good weather, but I don't believe it.

2.... typist is... person who types... letters and reports.

3. Luckily... advertisements were ready in... time for... exhibition.

4. I would like... grapes for... dessert.

III. Вставьте, правильный предлог или послелог, где необ­ходимо.

1. Most people don't go... holiday... Christmastime.

2. Don't shout... children, otherwise they'll get used... it and will pay no attention... your words.

3. It's... to you to decide whether you'll join... us or not.

IV. Составьте предложения, расположив слова в нужном порядке.

1. mistakes/Pat/number/has/fewest/the/pupils/all/of/made/the/of.

2. most/in/quality/honesty/is/the/admire/of/1/people/all.

3. when/known/you/since/have/Mr. Blake?

V. Закончите диалог вопросами, подходящими по смыслу.

Sue is back from the shops and she is talking to her husband Joe.

J: ___________________________________________________

S: I had to take a taxi because the bags were very heavy.

J: ___________________________________________________

S: Yes, I did. I got nearly everything I needed.

J:______________________________________________________

S: Well, I went to the butcher's and to the bakery and to the grocer's.

J: ______________________________________________________

S: I don't remember how many rolls I have bought. Several, anyway.

J:___________________________________.________________

S: I didn't buy any steak because the butcher didn't have it at that early

hour.

VI. Переведите на английский язык слова, данные в скоб­ках.

1. Everyone can (делать) _______mistakes.

2. If he really hates his job, why doesn't he look for (другая) ________ one.

3. Unfortunately I have so (мало) _________opportunities to be of any help to you.

4. I am sorry for the people (которые) _________have no sense of humour.

5. He usually gets up after the sun (встает) __________

6. There are several big parks in London (кроме) _________Hyde Park.

7. Nobody can (сказать) _______the difference between these two things.

8. I don't like to (одалживать) ___________things from anybody.

VII. Выберите правильный вариант.

1. a) My mother doesn't let me staying out late.

b) My mother doesn't let me to stay out late.

c) My mother doesn't let me stay out late.

2. a) He's been extremely busy last days.

b) He's been extremely busy these days.

c) He's been extremely busy last time.

VIII. Соедините по смыслу фразы из правой и левой коло­нок.

1. Is Ted still in hospital?               a. I'm afraid not

2. Could I speak to Bob, please?   b. I am afraid he does.

3. Does he have to go now?         c. I am afraid so.

№2

I. Откройте скобки, употребив глагол в правильной вре­менной форме.

1. Last night when I (to have) _______________a shower, the lights (to go) _____out. I (to ask) ________my mother if she (to do) ___________ it accidentally. She said she (to bring) ____________a flashlight in a minute. So I (to save) _______________from the bathroom with her help.

2. When Helen (to hear) ________that her best friend (to deceive) _______________ her she (to turn) _______ pale.

3. Look here, Mike. Why you (to watch) _________________TV instead of studying. If you (to have) ________ your exam tomorrow you will definitely fail it. Don't say that I (not to warn) ____________________you.

II. Вставьте артикль, где необходимо.

1. Once... poor woodman went to... wood which was on... bank of... deep river.... woodman was working... whole day and got tired.

2. The centre of New York is built on... island.... first Europeans who colonized... island bought it from... Indians living there for $24.

III. Вставьте правильный предлог или послелог, где необ­ходимо.

1. When the ship was approaching... Naples, all the tourists went... on the deck to look... the city which could be seen... the distance.

2. When we went... holiday my mother was never angry... me... my bad behaviour.

IV. Составьте предложения, расположив слова в нужном порядке.

1. quietly/nobody/spoke/he/so/could/that/him/hear.

2. mind/Bob/to-night/do/cinema/the/us/to/you/if/comes/with?

3. the/marks/parents/the/sent/to/are/pupils'/at/their/year/the/of/end.

IV. Составьте предложения, расположив слова в нужном порядке.

1. George/about/happy/neither/idea/the/Helen/nor/was.

2 activities/why/important/all/have/them/is/to/it/for/extra/class/of?

3 to/ask/catalogue/a/for/wrote/the/Sally/university/to.

IV. Составьте предложения, расположив слова в нужном порядке.

1. he/to/interest/didn't/in/take/seem/any/anything.

2. street/the/changed/has/recently/been/name/of/the.

3. you/last/were/too/do/to/homework/night/your/tired?

Test № 1

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следу­ющие утверждения.

1. Small towns with the population of about 3000 people seldom have a good cinema.

2. Woodmanshythe didn't have an activity centre 10 years ago.

3. The cinema in Workshop — the nearest big town — closed after the cinema in Woodmanshythe was started.

4. Major Richard Danby knows everything about the cinema in Woodmanshythe.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. Who is the cinema in Woodmanshythe run by?

2. Who is the cinema for?

3. Who had helped to organise the cinema financially?

4. What kind of films are shown at the cinema?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержа­нием текста.

1. There is a cafeteria next door to the cinema.

2. The firm club uses the cinema twice a week.

№2

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

If you leave the main street and turn right, you are in Amina's world. The people in the street are «foreign-looking» — they look like Indians or Pakistanis, and they or their parents certainly originated from Asia. The shops in this area sell foreign goods. The windows are filled with saris and turbans, exotic shawls, unusual perfumes, incense, and books written in letters that an ordinary European cannot read. The grocers sell spices and vegetables not normally to be found in English kitchen, and the cinemas advertise Indian films. The travel agents offer cut-price flights to New Delhi and Karachi.

If you come here in the evening or on Sunday, the streets are almost as busy as they are during an ordinary weekday. The grocers are open and life goes on as usual.

Amina stands behind the counter in her little grocer's shop on the corner. Her two children play in the back. Most of her customers are Asians, two or three are Europeans. «We are open every day,» she says. «I open at 9.30 every day, except for Sundays, when I open at 10 o'clock. The shop closes at 10.30 in the evening — again Sunday is different, we close at 5 o'clock. Of course I close in the middle of the day for a good long break. I would like to close the shop altogether on Sundays, but it is not possible. There is too much competition here. We are saving up to buy a bigger shop with a back garden for the children to play in while I am working. We don't want to move far away, because the people are friendly here. There is no real prejudice against us. We try to fit into the English way of life as much as possible. I draw the line at wearing English clothes, though! I am too fond of my sari. The children are a little divided. They have been on one trip to India, where my parents still live. They liked it very much there, but when we came back to London, they settled down very quickly. My husband has got a good job here with a computer firm, so I am sure we will stay here. I don't know how the children will grow up. I hope they will fit into the English society without too much trouble. It isn't always so easy. At the same time I hope they will remain good Indians—good Hindus. The most important thing for them is to be happy — to have a good education, and for us to find good marriage partners for them. Then I will be happy too.»

Test № 2

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следу ­ющие утверждения.

1. Amina doesn't close the shop on Sundays because it is the only shop for Asians in the area.

2. Amina and her husband are saving up for a trip to India.

3. Amina doesn't wear English clothes.

4. Amina and her husband will have to find marriage partners for their children when they grow up.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. What do people in Amina's world look like?

2. Where in England does Amina with her family live?

3. What does Amina's husband do?

4. Why don't Amina and her husband want to move far away from where they live?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Amina's children have never been to India.

2. The cinemas in Amina's world advertise American films.

№3

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

Thirty years ago my family were one of the lucky ones and went on holiday, once a year for a week. They went every year to the nearest seaside resort where there were a few traditionally run hotels, a beach, a little town and that was it. Today tourism is big business throughout the world and our expectations and life styles have greatly altered.

There are those people, especially environmentalists, who see the growth of tourism as a disaster for the environment as well as local cultures. Tourism has often meant huge hotel complexes, swimming pools, pollution and over­crowding that has destroyed many local communities. This has been the case on the Costa del Sol in Spain, which has been literally invaded by tourists for the past few decades. As the tourists start to look for more exotic places to go on holiday, the problem with protecting yet unspoiled areas in, for example, South East Asia, Central America and Africa grows.

Many of us have laughed at the commercial that shows an American tourist group on a sightseeing coach in Norway. Whenever the guide points out a local sight of interest, someone on the coach spots a McDonald's or another American Company on the other side of the coach, and everyone's attention is drawn to that. This is a good example of how many people, who go abroad on holiday, are actually more interested in experiencing familiar surroundings than discovering the local culture. As a result, travel companies try to make the resorts look as much as possible like the environment the tourists are used to.

Yet the growth of tourism has opened up parts of the world and enabled travellers to go to places they could only have dreamed of thirty years ago. The meeting of different cultures in this way has led to a greater mingling of peoples and cultures and habits. Take food for example: Italian dishes such as spaghetti and Spanish rice dishes such as paella, are nowadays eaten all over the world.

On a more serious level, tourism is often the developing countries' most important source of income. Foreign tourists bring in much needed foreign currency and this can help that country buy equipment and goods from abroad. In this way tourism is good for an area of the country.

Test № 3

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следу­ющие утверждения.

1. Some people think that the growth of tourism has been harmful to nature.

2. Many tourists on a holiday abroad laugh at Me Donald's or other American companies.

3. Costa del Sol in Spain hadn't been a popular tourist place until a few decades ago.

4. Tourism has led to the disappearance of many cultures.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. Where did the narrator's family usually go on holiday 30 years ago?

2. Where do tourists today try to find more exotic places for a holiday?

3. Why has tourism destroyed many local communities?

4. What dishes are nowadays eaten all over the world?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Travel companies try to make the resorts look different from the environment the tourists are used to.

2. Tourism is often the most important source of culture for developing countries.

№4

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

Albert Foreman had been a verger¹ at St. Peter's church in Neville Square for sixteen years. Albert Edward was very proud of his job and his church. But there was one special feature about Albert: he couldn't read or write. When one day a new vicar discovered this, he told him that unless he learnt to read and write within three months, he would lose his job. Albert refused and that evening he sadly locked the church and began to walk home.

As he walked along the street he looked for a shop to buy a packet of Gold Flake². It was a long street but there was not a single shop where he could buy cigarettes.

«That's strange,» Albert said to himself. «That's an idea!»

Next day he went along the street and by good luck found a little shop to let. Twenty-four hours later he had taken it, and a month after that set up in business as a tobacconist and newsagent. He did so well that in ten years he had acquired no less than ten shops and he was making money hand over fist. One morning when he was at the bank the cashier told him that the manager would like to see him.

«Mr. Foreman,» said the manager, «I wanted to have a talk with you about the money you've got with us. It's a very large sum and I think you would do better to invest it.»

A troubled look appeared on Mr. Foreman's face. «I've never had anything to do with investments,» he said.

«We'll do everything. All you'll have to do is just sign some forms.»

«But how should I know what I was signing?»

«I suppose you can read,» said the manager a little sharply.

«Well, sir, that's just it. I can't. I can't read or write, only my name, and I only learnt to do that when I went into business.»

The manager was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair. «That's the most extraordinary thing I've ever heard. And do you mean to say that you made a fortune of thirty thousand pounds without being able to read or write? Good God, man, what would you now be if you had been able to?»

«I'd be a verger of St. Peter's, Neville Square.»

' a verger — someone who looks after a church ² Gold Flake — a once-popular brand of cigarette

Test № 4

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. Albert Foreman had been satisfied with his position at St. Peter's.

2. Albert left the church as soon as he found a little shop to buy.

3. Albert learned to sign his name after he had left the church.

4. Albert would not have become rich if he had done what the new vicar demanded of him.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. What kind of business did Albert Foreman start?

2. For how long had he been in business when the bank manager offered him to invest his money?

3. Why did Albert have a troubled look when he had heard the manager's offer?

4. What was the manager's reaction when he had learned the truth about Mr. Foreman?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Albert Foreman had been a verger at a little quiet church in London.

2. When Mr. Foreman came to see the bank manager at his request, he was the owner of 16 shops.

№5

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

James Mitford: My wife and I only had the one child. It might have been nice to have a son, but we didn't plan a family, we just had Amy.

I see her as my best friend. I think she'd always come to me first if she had a problem. We have the same sense of humour, and share interests. I don't mind animals, but she's completely obsessed with them, and she has always had dogs, cats, horses, and goldfish in her life.

We were closest when she was about four, which I think is a lovely age for a child. They know the parents best, and don't have the outside contacts. She must have grown up suddenly when she went to school, because I remember her growing away from her family slightly. Any father who has a teenager daughter comes across an extraordinary collection of people, and there seemed to be an endless stream of strange young men coming through our house. By the time I'd learned their names they'd gone away and I had to start learning a new lot. I remember I told her off once in front of her friends and she didn't talk to me for days afterwards.

I wanted more than anything else for her to be happy in what she was doing, and I was prepared to pull strings to help her on her way. She went to a good school, but that didn't work out. She must have upset somebody. When she left she decided she wanted to become an actress so I got her into drama school. It wasn't to her liking so she joined a theatre group and began doing bits and pieces of films. She was doing well, but then gave it • up. She probably found it boring. Then she took up social work, and finally went to work for a designer and he became her husband. And that's really the story of her life. She must be happy with him—they're always together.

We have the same tastes in books and music, but it takes me a while to get used to new pop songs. I used to take her to the opera, which is my big passion, but I don't think she likes it very much, she doesn't come with me any more.

I don't think she's a big television watcher. She knows when I'm on, and she might watch, but I don't know. It's not the kind of thing she tells me.

We're very grateful for Amy. She's a good daughter as daughters go. We're looking forward to being grandparents.

I'm sure she'll have a son.

Test № 5

Test № 6

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. Amy is very proud of her father's awards.

2. Amy had always dreamt of going to public school.

3. Amy is fond of animals most of all.

4. Amy's parents are not used to country life.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. What does Amy think of her father as a person?

2. Why doesn't Amy remember much about her father?

3. Why does Amy feel guilty about her father sometimes?

4. Why was Amy's father against her getting married?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Amy's father always tells her when he's on TV.

2. Amy's interests have always been music and above all, opera.

№7

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

Nowadays the number of crimes involving violence is growing in Sweden as well as many other countries. The main cause of this development is undoubtedly the use of drags especially in larger cities. The higher rate of unemployment and growing racism are significant reasons too. Meaningless murders and assaults' are the frightening results. One can, as a consequence, see how people not only in countries like the United States, but also in countries like Sweden, arm themselves with weapons for protection, but violence breeds violence.

It is often claimed that an efficient way to lower the number of acts ol violence is to have more severe sentences². However, people who commit these crimes often have serious social and psychological problems. Many of them may therefore be indifferent to how severe the sentences are. Besides, these criminals do not think that they will ever get caught. Because of these reasons I doubt that acts of violence in Sweden would decrease if our government was to make the sentences for this type of crime more severe. A common measure to reduce the acts of violence is to increase the num­ber of policemen patrolling the streets. Although this is a good way of preventing acts of violence, it will not actually stop people from becoming criminals.

I am convinced that it is impossible to erase³ the violence related criminality completely, but there is a way in which I think it can be reduced considerably. Children should be informed about crimes related to violence and drugs. This information should be given in kindergarten as well as in elementary school Furthermore, it should especially reach those children who live in areas with high crime rates. The information should take the form of a discussion, not a lecture, led by some expert, preferably a local police officer.

Hopefully, the children would then at an early age already have some understanding of these problems that would be valuable to them for the rest of their lives. Although the costs for such a project would be considerable, the benefits would be great. It would certainly prevent many from becoming violent criminals in the future.

¹ assault —нападение

² sentence — приговор, наказание

³ to erase — уничтожать, ликвидировать

Test № 7

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следу­ющие утверждения.

1. The author doesn' t know the reasons for the growth of violence related crimes.

2. The acts of violence cannot be reduced by violence.

3. Many criminals don't care about the possible punishment.

4. The author thinks that the real problem is the high cost of increasing the number of policemen in the streets.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. What do many people in different countries do to protect themselves?

2. What is often regarded as an efficient way to lower the rate of violence in a state?

3. What can erase violence related crimes completely?

4. Why is educating people important?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Information about acts of violence should be given in kindergarten as well as in high school and colleges.

2. The information should take the form of a discussion preferably led by the headmaster.

№8

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

My Great Aunt's name is Mary Grieve. She is my grandmother's aunt. I do not know her very well having always lived a long way away, but she has always been a woman I have respected for many different reasons.

She is now over eighty years old and was born in Scotland in 1912. She had one brother called Tom. Her family was wealthy for those times and luckily for Mary, her father believed in educating both his children. He did not send her to one of the typical schools for daughters of the rich where they only learnt skills preparing them for marriage. She was obviously intelligent and when she left school she went to Oxford University.

In the 1930's there were very few women at University. However

Mary is not a quiet, submissive woman, in fact she has always been very

determined and prepared to be different. At this time it was assumed

that woman of her class would spend a few years enjoying her freedom

, and then settle down and get married. Mary did not do this.

After graduating from the university, she got a job in journalism. Newspapers were increasingly popular and to sell them to a wider audience some papers realised that appealing to women was important. She not only worked for newspapers but also wrote articles and books later in her life.

After the Second World War, she got a job with one of the new women's magazines that were to become more and more popular. After many years of hard work and struggling in a male dominated profession she eventually reached the top and became the editor of the magazine.

Mary never married as her work was very important to her and a job and marriage did not mix in Britain in the 1950's.

She is now old in years and confined to a wheelchair. However she is still full of enthusiasm about life. Her personal courage, her enthusiasm and interest in life, as well as the example she has set for all women working in our still male dominated society, makes Mary a woman I feel privileged to have known.

Test № 8

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. The story was written in the 1980s.

2. Mary got an education typical of the women of her class.

3. Mary stayed in her profession all her life.

4. There have always been more male magazine-editors in Britain than female.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. Why doesn't the narrator know her Great Aunt very well?

2. What kind of job did Mary get after graduating from the university?

3. Why did Mary never marry?

4. What always impressed the narrator in her Great Aunt?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Women magazines began to be popular in Britain in the 1930s.

2. Mary is now old in years and has lost interest in life.

№9

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

The setting is every child's dream. A huge, rambling, 300-year-old house, warmed by log fires, overrun by pets, and set in acres of natural playground. And no school.

That is what makes the Kirkbride household so rare. James, 18, Tamara, 15, Tigger, 14, and Hoppy, 10, have spent the last four years doing what other children only enjoy at weekends and holidays.

They get up when they feel like it, breakfast at leisure, and spend the rest of the day doing what they want. They walk, swim, fish, paint, read, play musical instruments, cook or sit around and chat.

There has been no attempt at having any lessons since John and Melinda Kirkbride took their children out of the local school — James five years ago and the others a year later. Hoppy had been there only six days. «We did start with a sort of curriculum when we took James out», says John, 46, a large forceful man. «But we soon realised we were repeating the mistakes of the system.»

«From the beginning, we both felt that packing our children off to school was wrong», says Melinda, a German-bom former actress. «Seeing their unhappiness made us re-examine our own school years, and remember how destructive they were.» John, formerly a TV producer, began a teachers' training course in Norwich, «to see if I could reform from within.» He soon found he couldn't and, after completing the course and teaching for four months, he removed himself and his children, from the system.

If the personalities of the children were the only criteria, the experiment would be an undoubted success. They are intelligent, confident, capable and considerate. All, including the two boys, cook and sew. Chores are shared without arguments. Their friendliness to each other, and to the many guests who visit the house, is natural and unforced.

«Teach is a swear word in this house,» says John. «It destroys the

child's own natural talent and creativity. Now learning—that's a different

matter. All our children learn when and if they want to learn something.

They look it up in books or they go and ask someone who knows, they

. use their initiative — which is more than any school could teach them.»

Test № 9

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую щие утверждения.                                                                '

1. The Kirkbride household is typical of the east coast of Britain.

2. None of Melinda and John's children have ever attended school.

3. John and his wife do not accept the traditional school system.

4. The parents don't make any of their children learn anything.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. How many children do the Kirkbrides have?

2. What kind of house do the Kirkbrides live in?

3. What is the Kirkbrides children's daily routine?

4. What are the children's personalities like?

Ем текста.

1. Melinda was born in Norwich.

2. John was formerly an actor.

№10

Прочитайте текст два раза и выполните следующие задания.

The problems with my parents started when I was sixteen. I wanted to get a Saturday job but my parents ordered me to stay at home and study for my exams. Whenever I pointed out that all my friends had Saturday jobs, they always replied, «We don't care what they do, it's you we are worried about,» and yet, whenever my school marks were bad, I was always compared to everyone else. Their double standards infuriated me so much that I did whatever I could to provoke them. I purposely dyed my hair white blond and plastered my face in make-up before I went to school. However, all I managed to achieve was mass arguments before I went anywhere.

It was rule in the house that I was only allowed out once during the week and on Saturday till 10 p.m. Every time I attempted to go out in the evening, my parents asked me who I was going out with and where we were going. They even insisted on my giving them my friend's telephone number in case they needed to contact me. I always argued about the last bit; I felt that if I gave them the number they'd use it to check up on me. It never for one moment crossed my mind that they were just worried about me.

Once I asked if I could go to a party on Saturday night. The party finished at 11.30 p.m. They agreed, but on the condition that my Dad came to pick me up at 10 p.m. I argued and argued about it but in the end I had to agree. I knew I was going to be really embarrassed when my father came to pick me up, so I spent the whole party worrying. I didn't speak to my parents for three days after that. My mother tried to explain how they both felt but I didn't want to listen. It was then that I decided to break all the rales they had set down. So instead of coming home at 10 p.m., I would arrive back at 11.30 p.m. and then refuse to tell them where I had been. I somehow felt that if I broke their rules, they would realise I was old enough to look after myself and leave me alone. However, the argument got worse and worse, and the more they tried to keep me in the house, the more I sneaked out. Finally, one Saturday night I didn't come home till 2 a.m. My father wanted to know why I was so late. I refused to tell him. We had a huge argument which ended with me getting a taxi to my sister's house. What went wrong?

Test № 10

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.                                                        

1. Ann's parents didn't want her to work on Saturdays.

2. Ann's schoolmarks were sometimes bad.

3. Ann didn't believe her parents were just worried about her.

4. Ann left her parents' house.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. When did Ann's problems with her parents start?

2. What did she do to provoke her parents?

3. How often was she allowed to go out in the evening?

4. Why didn't Ann speak to her parents after the party?

Ем текста.

1. Ann's parents always insisted on her giving them her friend's address.

2. One Saturday Ann didn't come home at all.

№11

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Anyone who has ever visited the centre of London cannot help but notice the number of young people who beg in the streets, and some who probably steal as well. Last summer I returned to attend a summer language course in London and stayed in the same area I had visited five years earlier. I was shocked by the increase in the number of young homeless people, living and sleeping in the streets.

There are approximately 30,000 homeless people in and around London. This has worsened due to the long recession¹ in Britain and the change in the social security system which doesn't allow any person under 18, or those without a permanent address to receive any social benefits from the governments. The numbers of homeless are growing as more young people come to London, believing that they will find work and a place to live. Unfortunately London does not live up to their dreams and a vicious circle is created: without a job they have no money to rent a place to live and without a place to live they cannot get any government social benefits or a job.

My solution to this problem may be short term but at least it would be a start for many of these young people. Squatting² should become legal again, as it once was in Britain. It is only recently that the law has been changed to make squatting illegal.

Surely it would be more profitable for the local council to let people squat in these houses if they are going to be empty for more than six months. These young people would then have an address and if over 18 years old, could get some benefits. They could then buy some decent clothes, tidy themselves up and have a greater chance of getting a job and a proper place to live. The houses may be in a bad condition but for homeless people this must surely be better than sleeping in the streets in the rain and cold. Somehow the vicious circle has to be broken.

¹ recession — worsening of economic activity

² squatting — occupying a house or a flat without permission

Test № 11

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. Homeless people do not receive any social benefits from the government.

2. People under 18 years old are not allowed to work in Britain.

3. Squatting used to be allowed in Britain.

4. The author suggests that the local councils should let homeless young people live in the houses that have been empty for more than 6 months already.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. Where did the author live when he came to London last year?

2. Why are the numbers of homeless people growing?

3. Why is the situation with homeless people like a vicious circle?

4. Why are there many empty houses in London?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Anyone who has ever visited the suburbs of London cannot help noticing the number of people living and sleeping in the streets.

2. The author came to London to study the problem of squatting.

№12

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Good memories are the most precious of our treasures. They remain with us all our lives, like favourite books to be plucked down and enjoyed. But sometimes an otherwise marvellous memory brings guilt and uncertainty. This happened to me. The experience goes back 36 years to my childhood in rural Virginia.

In those soft days so long ago, my closest friends were Lou Coles and her ten children. They lived in a log cabin Within hollering distance of our house. I especially liked Louis Coles and two of his brothers. Every day we would holler back and forth urgently discussing our plans.

Lou Coles was a stout woman who usually kept her head wrapped in a kerchief. The Coles cabin had two small rooms downstairs and one upstairs. It sat on a hill among large shade trees, surrounded by acres of cow pasture. I suppose I loved the Coleses as dearly as I did my own little sister. To me, their lives seemed idyllic, even though the bigger children spent long days labouring in the tobacco fields. Their water came from a hand-dug well and their light from kerosene lamps. But there was a warmth about their lives that I longed to share — and did.

The cabin had an aroma to it that I suspect has vanished from the earth forever. Even in summer, the stove was going most of the day, as old Lou boiled and simmered and fried food for the table.

It was my good fortune to have an extraordinary mother who allowed me to spend plenty of time with the Coleses—though, in reality, she couldn't have kept us apart. She gave the Coles boys strict orders to make me take turns, share everything and act nice. In this respect, our lives seemed equal. My special friend was Louis, for he was closest to my age. The palms of his black hands were light, and I remember — that summer in the South in 1948 _ telling him the old Uncle Remus fable: Once upon a time all humanity was black. Word spread that there was a special pond in which the black could be washed off. But by the time the laziest people reached the pond, there was only enough water to wash off the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet. «And that,» I explained to Louis as we waded in the creek chasing crawfish, «is why I'm white all over and you're not.» And Louis cheerfully agreed.

Test № 12

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. 36 years ago the author lived in the countryside in Virginia.

2. The author loved the Coleses family because he was an only child.

3. The author and Louis were almost the same age.

4. The author's mother wanted to keep her son apart from the Coleses but she couldn't.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. What kind of house did the Coleses live in?

2. Why did the author love the Coleses family?

3. Why does the author feel guilty?

4. When did the author tell Louis the old Uncle Remus fable?

ill. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Old Lou Coles cooked food on the stove only in winter.

2. Louis cried when the author told him the fable.

№13

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One Saturday in September 1985,1 was at my desk when the telephone rang. «My name is Louis Coles,» a voice said. «I don't know if you remember me, but...»

«Louis!» I exclaimed, my eyes brimming with tears. «How can you ask if I remember you? I've been thinking about you for thirty years!»

Louis explained that I had been a constant fixture in his memory, that he had often wanted to seek me out. We repeated the same things, asked the same questions, and I laughed as our memories mingled.¹1 learned that for the past 21 years Louis has worked at Glassboro State College in New Jersey. Louis' wife, Brenda, has worked for Mobil Oil. They have two children, and own a house on a gentle hill in the country.

Louis reported that his brothers and sisters are doing well too. They are happily settled in different spots from Virginia to New York — all working and most with families.

A few weeks later, Louis and I got together in Chatham. More than six feet tall, Louis is an affable² man, with the same energetic spontaneity he had as a child. We began to talk quietly of serious things — racism, black poverty and the old segregationist South. It was clear that we both understood how profoundly wrong the old way was, yet Louis insisted that as a child he never felt the bite of racism. I mentioned how we used to go to the movies and be separated at the door. Didn't that bother him? «Why would it, Henry?» I could sense a hidden grin. «The movies I saw were always better than the ones you saw!»

But I was still puzzled about how his home could be so important to Louis. What had he found here that could fuel his life with happiness and success?

«The most important thing came from my mamma,» he said. «She taught all of us that people are going to treat you just like you treat them. And that's all I've ever done. When you understand that, it makes it really easy to get along in life.» He brushed a tear from his eye.

¹ to mingle —смешиваться

² affable —приветливый

Test № 13

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. Henry and Louis Coles had not seen each other for 30 years.

2. Henry and Louis had the same memories.

3. Louis's brothers and sisters were all married.

4. Louis was not bothered by racism when he was a child.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. What did Henry learn about Louis when they talked over the telephone?

2. When did Louis and Henry get together in Chatham?

3. What was the author's impression of Louis when he saw him in Chatham?

4. What had helped to fill Louis's life with happiness and success?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Louis had worked at a college in New Jersey for the past 10 years.

2. All Louis's brothers and sisters were settled in the same town.

№14

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The first time we met, I was an innocent eight-year-old. My friends and I secretly took you down to our dark cellar, so that our parents would not find out. Later on, when I was about ten-year-old, we started to meet every weekend when my friends and I went to the noisy discotheque at our local youth club. We used to sneak out from the club up into the shady woods, where my friends and I sat with make-up on our faces and garish nail polish on our nails feeling very adult and mature.

From thirteen onwards we met several times a day, and by then my mother allowed you to come into my room. She did not want to know you,, having gone through so much to get rid of you. Naturally she was rather disappointed in me but what could she do? She kept hoping that I would «get my act together» but at this age I was unruly and rebellious and punishments and curfews did not work.

There is no doubt that you have been everything to me. You have been there when I needed a friend or when I was sad. You calmed me down when I was upset. In other words, you have been one of my best friends.

Unlike others in similar situations, I did not associate with you because it was fashionable or I thought it was tough. However, I had seen you and your equals, together with beautiful, sophisticated women; women who ate at expensive restaurants and drank red wine by candlelight. My friends and I tried to imitate those women; we wanted to live in that kind of world.

The problem was I liked you too much. There was no going back. I was caught in your trap. My flat was almost ruined because of you. My skin became a washed out pale grey. Sometimes I felt like an old woman. How was I so blind, deaf and ignorant for all those years? Why couldn't I let you go? I know the answer myself, it was because I did not care then, but I do now.

In spite of it being difficult, I am now trying to end our destructive relationship, as one must end all bad relationships. I hope I will succeed in my effort to stop smoking and that I will never buy another packet of Prince again. After more than eighteen years together I bid you farewell, my fair Prince.

Test № 14

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. The narrator is twenty-six years old now.

2. The narrator's parents didn't know that she had started to smoke.

3. The mother had given up smoking when her daughter was 13.

4. The narrator has started to take care of her health.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. Where did the narrator and her friends go at week-ends when she was ten-year-old?

2. What role did smoking play in the narrator's life?

3. Who did the narrator and her friends try to imitate?

4. What does the narrator's skin look like now?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. The first time she took a cigarette the narrator was ten-year-old.

2. From thirteen onwards the narrator was allowed to smoke in the club.

№15

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She was in the house of a married friend, sitting on the verandah, with a lighted room behind her. She was alone; and heard people talking in low voices, and caught her own name. She rose to go inside and declare herself: it was typical of her. Then she sank down again, and waited for a suitable moment to pretend she had just come in from the garden. This was the conversation she listened to, while her face burned and her hands went clammy.'

«She's not fifteen any longer: it is ridiculous! Someone should tell her about her clothes.» «How old is she?»

«Must be well over thirty. She was working long before I began working, and that was a good twelve years ago.»

«Why doesn't she marry? She must have had plenty of chances.» There was a dry chuckle. «I don't think so. My husband was keen on her himself once, but he thinks she will never marry. Something missing somewhere.» «Oh, I don't know.»

«The other day I caught sight of her in the street and hardly recognized her. It's a fact! The way she plays all those games, her skin is like sandpaper,² and she's got so thin.»

«But she's such a nice girl. She'd make someone a good wife.» «She should marry someone years older than herself. A man of fifty would suit her... you'll see, she will marry someone old enough to be her father one of those days.»

She was stunned and outraged;³ but most of all deeply wounded that her friends could discuss her thus. And the things they had said! She tried to compose herself⁴ and went back into the room to join her treacherous friends, who greeted her as cordially as if they had not just that moment driven knives into her heart and thrown her quite offbalance; she could not recognize herself in the picture they had made of her!

¹ clammy —влажный

² sand paper —наждачная бумага

³ outraged —оскорбленный

⁴ to compose oneself —успокоиться

Test № 15

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. Mary hadn't intended to listen to the conversation.

2. Mary was the same age as her friend.

3. The conversation was between Mary's friend and her husband.

4. Mary was keen on sports.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. Where was Mary that night?

2. Why did Mary's friend hardly recognize her when she caught sight of her in the street?

3. Who did Mary's friend think she should marry?

4. What did her friends do when she came back into the room?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Mary was amused by the conversation she heard.

2. She thought the picture her friends had made of her was true.

№16

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Annie Stewart has been a keeper at Woburn Animal Kingdom for the past twelve years, and for eight years before that she worked at another safari park. It's hard physical work, out in all weathers — animals have to be fed and looked after every day of the year.

«My working day normally begins at 8 a.m., but if an animal is sick I may have to be up all night with it. Week-ends and bank holidays are our busiest times while we're open to visitors between March and October. I begin by loading feeds onto my car, then I drive to the eland (a type of larger antelope). I feed and check them. Then I go through a similar process with the giraffe and the hippo.

We always have to take special care in our dealings with the rhino — remember that they are dangerous wild animals. They have to be watched all the time in case something upsets them. And the eland can be especially unpredictable¹ when the strangers are around. They only trust two of us to go near them, so if there are any problems with them on my day off I might easily be called in.

During the season when we're open to the public, it's part of the keepers'

job to patrol the park watching the public as much as the animals. People

can be amazingly silly, ignoring signs and warnings. They seem to have no

idea of the possible danger. Some get out of their cars to take photographs

when they are frighteningly close to an animal that could kill them in an

instant. We have to try and be diplomatic and maintain a sense of humour.

I get to know all the animals in my care individually. I fill in a daily

diary and a weekly report, making a note of any changes of behaviour.

This is a job that requires dedication and hard work. I was first attracted

to it when I saw a documentary about this place 20 years ago. I had

experience of looking after dogs in boarding kennels², and I was fascinated

by the safari park concept. So I wrote to them and was lucky enough to

get a job, learning as I went along. It's like a wild animal farm here —

the animals have plenty of freedom and I enjoy the independence and

responsibility which are central to my job».

¹ unpredictable — непредсказуемый

² kennels — псарня

Test № 16

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. Annie Stewart has been a safari park keeper for 20 years.

2. When there are queues of traffic Annie can be called in even on her days off.

3. Annie's first job in Animal Kingdom was looking after dogs in boarding kennels.

4. Annie had to do some learning before she was accepted to the Animal Kingdom.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. What are the busiest times for Woburn Animal Kingdom?

2. Why do the rhino have to be watched all the time?

3. Why do people need watching as much as the animals?

4. What things about Annie's job are the most important for her?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. Ann was attracted to Animal Kingdom when she came across a newspaper article about it.

2. One of Annie's responsibilities is filling in monthly reports.

№17

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Elaine and Roy Fullwood had no intention of educating their children themselves until things went badly wrong at school. When a new headteacher with what Roy describes as «trendy educational methods» took over at the local school, the work of their eldest child, Alex, suffered and she became bored and aimless.

Despite a meeting with the headteacher, the Deputy Director of Education and other concerned parents nothing changed. At this point Elaine and Roy decided to take Alex, aged 8, and Anna, aged 6, away from school.

A year later Elaine was concerned about whether the girls were making enough progress. «For advice, we took the girls' work to the heads of the schools where they would have been pupils. In both cases they were well ahead for their age. This reassured us that we were on the right way.»

Alex and Anna have now been at home for two years and are joined in their morning studies by six-year-old sister Miriam, who has never been to school. Four-year-old John occasionally joins in and 14-month-old Luke is often crawling nearby.

Having no teacher-training, it was necessary to plan work very carefully in the early days but now Elaine finds that it's become second nature.

Roy trained as a teacher but has never actually taught. Now he spends as much time with the family as his job allows.

Roy and Elaine make it quite clear that being at home is not a soft option¹. They put a lot of emphasis on responsibility and self-discipline. For example, Alex and Anna are in charge of the animals — hens, a horse and a goat — which they have to feed and clean out in all weathers. No one stands over them but they know that if they shirk their responsibilities² then the animals will go. The children themselves will decide whether they want to do «O» and «A» levels. Roy and Elaine certainly won't try to influence them.

The Fullwoods are clearly a close-knit family but they also have many friends. Although the children may never go to school again there is no anti-school feeling in the home. «The door's open. If ever they want to go they can».

¹ soft option —легкий выбор

²to shirk responsibilities — уклоняться от выполнения обязанностей

Test № 17

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) следую­щие утверждения.

1. In the beginning Elaine and Roy didn't plan to educate their children at home.

2. Three of the Fullwoods children have never been to school.

3. Neither of the parents has ever had any teacher-training.

4. Roy and Elaine will decide later whether their children will do «O» and «A» level exams.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. At what moment did things go wrong at school?

2. What was Elaine concerned about during the first year of home education?

3. How much time does Roy spend with his family?

4. What do Roy and Elaine put a lot of emphasis on in the upbringing of their children?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. At the end of the first year of home education Elaine and Roy took the girls to the heads of the schools where they would have been pupils.

2. Although the children will never go to school again there is no anti-school feeling in the home.

№18

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From inside the zoo director's office, the tiger is living very comfortably. Saved from having to earn its own living in the tough outside world, it has all its meals provided and doesn't even have to walk anywhere. I have heard one zoo director describe the zoo as a «welfare state» for animals. But the zoo director also tells us that the tiger is earning its keep by educating the public. When their existence is put into question zoos always answer by saying that they educate people. The argument goes like this: all the nature and wildlife documentary films in the world can't replace flesh and blood. There's just nothing like the experience of coming face to face with real, live, wild animals. Having seen wild animals close up, zoo visitors will be so enthusiastic about the wonders of the natural world that they will start to care deeply about what is happening to wild animals, go off and do something about it. Along with all the other caged animals, the tiger — to use a favourite zoo phrase — is an «ambassador for the wild».

As someone who studies human behaviour, I'm interested in why people go to zoos, what they get from looking at animals in cages and what zoos say they get. Having spent hours watching people watching animals, my feeling is that no zoo can fulfil the educational aim it says it has. No zoo can bring about a meaningful meeting between people and animals because by its very nature, the zoo — good, bad, best in the world — presents a false picture of wild animals and our relationship with them.

The time I have spent outside the cages has shown me how the zoo hinders¹ any true understanding of animals.

The only way we can bring about any healthy and relaxed meeting between people and imprisoned animals is to do away with² the idea of zoos and to start again. Start with the animals, not the people. Start by asking what reasons there could be for keeping animals in cages. Start by finding ways of offering them somewhere which can realistically replace the wild, an imaginative space of the right size, a chance to relate to other animals as they would in the wild, a chance to get away from the public stares — a chance, basically, to live their own lives.

¹ hinder —мешать

² to do away with —покончить с чем-то

Test № 18

I. Определите, верны (True) или неверны (False) сле­дующие утверждения.

1. According to the director of the zoo, animals have a safer life at zoos than in the outside world.

2. The author believes that documentary films can't replace seeing wild animals face to face.

3. People who visit zoos are enthusiastic about the wonders of wild life.

4. The author suggests that it's impossible to create any place where animals can live their own life.

II. Ответьте на следующие вопросы.

1. How, according to the zoo director, does the tiger earn its keep?

2. What experience helped the author to get a good idea of zoos?

3. Why, according to the author, can't zoo bring a meaningful meeting between people and animals?

4. What, in the author's opinion, should people do about zoos?

III. Исправьте предложения в соответствии с содержани­ем текста.

1. From the point of view of the zoo visitors the tiger is living very comfortably.

2. As someone who studies the behaviour of animals the author is interested in why people go to zoos.

№19

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