According to laws of hospitality

Braslav is among the most popular destinations for Belarusians and foreigners. Now, a state programme is being developed to raise the attractiveness of the region to tourists, turning the district centre (home to 10,000) into a modern European city.

The local tourist industry is to enter a whole new level. At present, there are five tourist bases and two hotels — situated in Braslav and near the town. New facilities are going to be very comfortable. Drivyaty tourist base within the Braslav Lakes National Park, which occupies 70,000 hectares, is among the most modern and popular destinations. It’s soon to be expanded, with new hotels, a spa centre, a cafe and an indoor aqua park.

In the early 16th century, Duchess Yelena, who was married to Grand Duke Alexander (who ruled over Lithuania and Russia) and actually owned Braslav, founded a monastery on the site. Fragments of this ancient settlement will be restored as part of the Braslav district’s tourism development programme.

The ancient Belarusian town has many interesting sporting traditions, including an international fishing contest, which has been gathering hundreds of fishermen from Belarus, Russia and Latvia for the past few years. Sports lovers and those who enjoy the outdoor life are sure to be delighted by the town’s new rowing channel, ski­roller track and ski slope, in addition to a sports complex with an ice rink.

The local cinema is to be fully modernised, with new halls opened, while an entertainment complex will be built, offering billiards and bowling. A new shopping centre, with a cafe for children, is also planned, alongside a lake­river museum, with an aquarium.

This wonderful resort town should please tourists with its modernised infrastructure and Braslav district could soon become an international tourist destination. One potential investor is to start construction of a new sanatorium very soon.

State programmes for regional develop­ment are already working in the Polesie and Naroch Lake areas. 

                                                                                                                                                    2. The author tells us about sporting traditions that exist in Braslav. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What new things will tourists see in Braslav?

4. Why will it be interesting to visit this Belarusian town?

Билет № 4 (продолжение)

II. (аудирование) Listen to the radio programme and answer the questions below.

1. How long has Brian lived on his boat?

 

 

2. Why did he decide to leave London?

 

 

3. What can he do with his boat that he couldn’t with a house?

 

Script:

Jackie: Hello, I’m Jackie Dalton. Have you ever wanted to do something completely different? Well, one man now lives on his boat. Brian, welcome.

Brian: Hello!

Jackie: How long have you been living on the boat and why did you move there?

Brian: I’ve been down here now for about 12 years. I used to live in London. The family had grown up, the wife had died. I had this big house… and I thought who for? I’m going to go and live on the boat.

Jackie: Are you glad you decided to leave London and live on a boat in
Brighton?

Brian: Best decision I’ve ever made.

Jackie: Brian, what can you do on a boat that you can’t do in a house?

Brian: All these boats have got all the comforts that are required for living on board: microwaves, televisions, fridges... If you don’t like your neighbours, you can go to another place. There’s a lot going for living on board. I love everything that’s down here. I love these lovely nights, the lovely sunsets. People pay for this, you know, they ask me silly questions like “Where do you go for your holiday?” and I look out here and I look at them and I think: “Every day is a holiday!”

III.(тема)

 Let’s talk about friendship and relationship with friends.

 

 

Билет № 5

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

Unknown Arthur Conan Doyle

Like the great detective Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle also had many wonderful talents. Many people do not know that he wrote many other kinds of books: science fiction, historical adventures, horror stories and stories of the supernatural. He also wrote factual books on history and politics. In everything he did, he showed his incredible creative energy.

Conan Doyle came from an artistic family and he was a natural writer. His father was a talented artist and his mother was a very good story­teller. In his autobiography, Conan Doyle wrote: “The stories that my mother told me when I was a child stand out more powerfully than the real facts of my life.”

Conan Doyle went to boarding school when he was nine years old. At school, he entertained his school friends with stories that he had invented. After graduation from Edinburgh University he had his own medical practice in London, but he did not have many patients, so he was not earning a lot of money as a doctor. That’s why Conan Doyle made good use of his free time by writing stories. Soon, Conan Doyle began to have his stories published. He now began to understand that writing could provide a better income than medicine.

Conan Doyle was not satisfied with being just a writer of original and entertaining stories. He was also a great man of action. When he was a young man, he sailed as a ship’s doctor on voyages to the Arctic and to West Africa. When the Boer War1 in Africa started, Conan Doyle volunteered to fight. He was not accepted because he was too old (he was 40). However, he still went to South Africa as a doctor to treat the wounded2 and the sick. He later wrote a history of the Boer War.

Conan Doyle was determined to do some good in society. He tried to enter Parliament, but he wasn’t successful. Conan Doyle was more successful in his work to improve the law system. He worked very hard to help people who had been wrongfully sent to prison.

Conan Doyle did many things in his life, but he will naturally be remembered most as a writer, a creator of Sherlock Holmes.

1 the Boer War — англо­бурская война                     2 the wounded — раненые

2. Conan Doyle had many talents. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. How did his writing talent develop?

 

4. Which facts prove that Conan Doyle took an active part in social life?

Билет № 5 (продолжение)

II. (аудирование)  Listen to the programme and answer the questions below.

1. How did the dolphins help a 10-year-old boy?

 

2. How does swimming with dolphins help the children?

 

 

3. Why are some people not very enthusiastic about dolphin therapy?

 

Script:

A 10­year­old boy has been helped by dolphins to talk for the first time in his life. Now, after taking part in a dolphin interaction programme he has begun to use words to communicate. He is just one of the many children who have been helped by dolphins.

Dolphin therapy began some 20 years ago. How does it all work? Close contact with the dolphins works as a motivator. Swimming with the dolphins is an experience that reaches deep down and demands the levels of concentration that are necessary for learning.

Despite its evident success at helping children, not everyone is enthusiastic about dolphin therapy. Animal rights groups warn that it is a myth that dolphins are harmless creatures. They are wild animals with wild instincts.

Other people point out the harm done to the dolphins. Captive1 dolphins must be used for the therapy of course. This creates problems when the animals are returned to the wild. It is partly for this reason that some therapy centres only use dolphins that have been rescued from the wild.

Although dolphin therapy has shown itself to be of great value to many sick and disabled children, the right measures must be taken to ensure the protection both of the dolphins and the children who swim with them.

1 captive — находящийся в неволе

III.(тема)

 Let’s talk about education.

 

Билет № 6

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

Hand made chocolates

Jane Turner began her chocolate making business in a village near the seaside resort of Torquay about three years ago, before that she had worked for a large food processing company in south­west England. We talked to her about her experiences.

Why did you decide to make such a big change of lifestyle?

“First of all, I was not happy in my job. Though it was a well­paid job, the work was very stressful and I had to work long hours. I just wanted to improve the quality of my life. I also wanted to live by the sea again. I knew that it would be difficult to find a good job in this area, so I decided to set up my own business.”

How did the chocolate making begin?

“It had always been my dream. I found a suitable building in a village and installed all the equipment. My sister and a couple of her friends came to work with me and about six months later we were ready to start making cakes. After the cake business had begun to do well and we were supplying hotels and restaurants on a regular basis, I began trying to make my own chocolates. It is not easy to make good chocolate as there are so many factors involved: creativity, the quality of ingredients, even the temperature of the room. When I had developed a good enough range of chocolates, I sent some to the hotels and restaurants. They liked them and ordered more. That is how the chocolate making grew.”

Have you made any mistakes?

“Oh, yes, a lot. Perhaps the biggest mistake was trying to sell our cakes and chocolates over the internet. It was a disaster. First of all, it was expensive to get a professionally designed website set up. Then it was difficult and expensive to deliver cakes and chocolates to places that were far away. We had to use special packaging to protect the cakes and chocolates, which was also expensive. Sometimes, the chocolates arrived late, or despite everything they were damaged. Then we had to deal with some very angry customers!”                                                  What are your plans for the future?                                                                                                             “We are thinking of setting up our own shop in Torquay with cake and chocolate making facilities inside.”

2. Why did Jane Turner start her business? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. How did her chocolate business develop?

4. What mistakes did she make?

Билет № 6 (продолжение)

II. (аудирование)  Listen to the radio programme and answer the questions below.

1. Why did Arthur Conan Doyle stop writing stories about Sherlock Holmes?

 

2. What worried Mr Horowitz before starting a book?

 

 

3. Why was writing the book about Sherlock Holmes easier than Mr Horowitz thought?

 

Script:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed Sherlock Holmes when writing the stories took up too much of his time. Now, 80 years after the author’s death, Britain’s most famous detective is being brought back to life with a new novel by Anthony Horowitz.

The character of Sherlock Holmes was originally created by Arthur Conan Doyle, who featured him in four novels and more than 50 short stories.

But it’s the first time that the Arthur Conan Doyle estate has officially asked an author to write a new novel. He has been named as Anthony Horowitz and is best known for his Alex Rider children’s series. So, was he afraid of the challenge?

Anthony Horowitz:

“Well obviously, it was exciting to deal with probably the most famous detective in the whole history of literature. And I didn’t want to disappoint the fans, and people who love these books.

But to be honest with you, I found it fairly easy to write because I have always loved those books, I’ve read them two or three times during the course of my lifetime — in fact, my whole life as a writer of crime fiction was inspired by Doyle and I find the book not so scary as I thought it might be.”

III. (тема)

Let’s talk about studying at school.

 

 

Билет № 7

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

Мysterious disappearance

Agatha Christie wrote some of the best detective stories in English. Her own life also contains a mystery that has only recently been solved.

The story began like this. At 9.45 pm on December 3rd 1926, Agatha Christie left her home in the south of England, saying that she was going out for a drive in her car. The next morning, her car was found quite far away crashed. The front end of the car was in some bushes, the headlights2 were still on. Inside, there were only some women’s clothes and Agatha Christie’s driving license.

The detective in charge of the case, William Kenward immediately organized a big search of the area. Policemen came from different parts of the country to help in the search, even some famous detective writers were asked to help.

Archie Christie, Agatha’s husband, told everyone that his wife was suffering from amnesia3. However, soon the police discovered that the marriage between Archie and Agatha Christie was not a happy one, and that Archie and Agatha were having problems. But he could not admit that his marriage was in trouble because people might have thought that he had had something to do with her disappearance.

At this point, the police received a letter. In the letter, Agatha told Archie’s brother that she was going away to rest in Yorkshire, Harrogate. The police now went there and looked for her at all the hotels. But they did not find Agatha Christie as she had not checked in using her real name. Instead, she had introduced herself as Neele, a visitor from South Africa.

The situation was very upsetting for the police as they didn’t find her. Instead, the musicians in the dance band at the hotel recognized her.

It was not an easy story to believe and most people did not in fact believe it. But all what we know now is that she did not do it for publicity. She did it as she was going through an unhappy time with her husband. Later, in fact, their marriage broke up and they got divorced. However, her disappearance did make Agatha Christie the most popular crime writer in the country.                                                                                                                                                                            1 mysterious — таинственный, загадочный      2 headlights — фары    3 amnesia — потеря памяти, амнезия                                                                                       

2. How did the story begin? Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. What are the details of the police investigation?

4. Why did Agatha Christie disappear according to the article?

Билет № 7 (продолжение)

II. (аудирование) Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. What does the boy want to do?

 

2. What does his mother want to do?

 

 

3. Why can’t they make a decision?

 

Script:

James: Morning, mum.

Mother: Good morning, James. Will you, please, help me to get breakfast ready?

J: Sure, mum. Oh, by the way, mum, what will we do this Sunday?

M: Well, there are a lot of things we can do, but I think we have to talk to dad about it first. I’m afraid he’ll want to stay home.

J: Oh well, if he wants to stay in I’ll go and see a football match then. MU’s playing with Chel­sea!

M: We’ll see about it. We may drive to the country and can all take a long walk in the wood! Then have a picnic by the lake! We haven’t done it for a long time.

J: Oh no! It’s so boring! I never enjoy those walks. Besides, they forecast bad weather for the weekend! I’d better stay in town and see a match with the friends. It’ll be great fun I am sure!

M: All right. But let’s talk about it later. It’s only Wednesday today!

J: But it will be too late then. The boys are buying tickets for the match now.
I won’t be able to get it later!

M: Let’s wait for father anyway.

J: OK. When will he be back?

M: I am not sure but I hope he’ll be back at 8 pm.

J: All right, then. I do hope he’ll let me go to the football match.

III.(тема)

 Let’s talk about school traditions.

Билет № 8

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

Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He experimented in many different styles and changed the world of art during his time.

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain in 1881. His father was a drawing teacher. At 10 Pablo became his father’s pupil and at the age of 13 he held his first exhibition. His family moved to Barcelona in 1895 where Pablo joined an art academy. In his early period the young artist painted life as he saw it around him — in cafes and on the streets. Then they moved to Paris, the centre of art and literature.

In 1901 a close friend of Picasso shot himself. This had a great influence on Pablo. He was very sad and began painting his pictures in grey and blue tones instead of bright, vivid colours. This part of his career is called his Blue Period (1901—1904).

Later on, he changed his painting style and started using more earth colours — rose, pink or brown. He liked to paint pictures of circus life with dancers and acrobats. This Rose Period lasted until 1907.

When Picasso started working with his friend and fellow painter Georges Braque in Paris they started experimenting with a new style that was called cubism. Picasso and Braque didn’t want to show nature as it really was. They thought that all objects in nature had geometric2 forms. In cubism, objects were cut into many flat shapes, which looked like a puzzle. All the sides of a person’s face, for example, were shown at once, maybe even with three eyes instead of two.

In 1936 Civil War broke out in Spain. During this period he painted his masterpiece Guernica3. It shows the terrified people of the ancient Spanish town which was bombed during the Civil War. Picasso was shocked by this inhuman act and in his painting he shows people running in the streets and screaming with their mouths wide open. To display his sadness and anger he used only black and white as well as shades of grey.

He continued his work up to his death in 1973. For his great imagination and skill he is called ‘El Maestro’ of modern art.                                                                                                                   1 Pablo Picasso — Пабло Пикассо             2 geometric — геометрический                      3 Guernica — Герника

2. The most famous painting of Picasso is Guernica. Read aloud the extract about it.

3. Where did Picasso learn to paint?                            4. Picasso worked in different styles. Which styles are mentioned in the article? What are their typical characteristics?

Билет № 8 (продолжение)

II. (аудирование) Listen to the interview and answer the questions below.

1. What is Kerry’s typical day?

 

2. Why doesn’t Kerry follow a diet or go to the gym?

 

 

3. What piece of advice does Kerry give to beginners?

 

Script:

Interviewer: For most of us, childhood dreams of becoming a dancer stopped at about the time we became teenagers but not for Kerry Jay. Now at the age of 24 she is a dancer in one of the West End’s musicals. Kerry, what’s a typical day?

Kerry: I’m usually not in bed before 2 am, so I get up about 10 am. I go to the gym or occasionally a jazz class. I meet friends who don’t work by day either — it’s my main chance to socialise. We get to the theatre by 6.15 and put on our make­up. Then we’ll get our hair done and put our costumes on.

I: Do you have to exercise to keep your figure?

K: Not at all! I don’t look after myself as well as I should do! I don’t need to do diets or go to the gym daily — just watch what I’m eating. I eat completely normally, including sweets and chocolates but not much.

I: How do you see your future?

K: I can’t imagine myself doing anything else! I’d love to get one of the main roles in ‘Chicago’ eventually. As for getting older in the business, I know a lot of dancers in their mid­30s who are in main parts and doing well.

I: Any advice for beginners?

K: Be confident and keep practising — patience is rewarded!

III. (тема)

Let’s talk about choosing a career.

 

 

Билет № 9

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

Good news for chocolate lovers!

It would be difficult to find someone who does not like chocolate. In the United States, chocolate is bought more often than any other kind of sweet. In Britain, each person eats an average of 11 kg of chocolate per year. That is a lot of chocolate! In the US people eat about 200 chocolate bars per second as a matter of fact. People love chocolate so much that they often think it is a bad habit. But there is good news for all chocoholics: eating chocolate does less harm to you than you might think.

People often believe that chocolate causes a number of health problems including bad teeth, obesity1 and skin problems such as acne2. Studies carried out in the United States, however, give no support to this idea.

Specific tests were carried out. One group of people who suffer from acne was given regular amounts of chocolate, while another group of similar sufferers had no chocolate at all. At the end of the test period the two groups were compared. No difference in the condition of the acne sufferers was noticed.

Chocolate contains fat and sugar, so if you ate a lot of chocolate you would probably put on weight. But reasonable amounts of chocolate in your diet will not make you fat. People usually get fat because they eat too much food in general, especially if they are not very active.

What about the effect on your teeth? Chocolate can damage your teeth, but the danger is less than many people believe. It is good to know that eating a certain amount of chocolate may even be good for you. Chocolate contains protein, vitamins and minerals. Scientists believe chocolate may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Perhaps the most amazing thing of all is that it can help you fight off illness. The important thing is not the chocolate in itself, but the pleasure that it gives you. Even the smell of chocolate can have a positive effect on your immune system. It is nice to smell chocolate of course, but it is much better to eat it. And the great thing is that you can eat it without fear.

                               1 obesity — ожирение              2 acne — угревая сыпь                                                                                                                                      

2. People eat a lot of chocolate. Read aloud the extract which says about it.

3. What health problems do people traditionally connect with eating chocolate?

4. What facts prove that chocolate can be good for our health?

 

Билет № 9 (продолжение)

II. (аудирование) Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below.

1. What is Alex thinking about?

 

2. Why does he want to bring soldiers as a gift for his parents?

 

 

3. What will Alex buy for his brother?

Script:

Kelly: Hi, Alex. Alex? Are you sleeping?

Alex: No, I’m not sleeping, just thinking.

Kelly: About what?

Alex: Well, I’ll be going back home to visit my family for a couple of weeks.

Kelly: That’s great. So, you must be thinking about how happy you’ll be to see them again.

Alex: Yes, that’s true. But I’m also thinking about what kinds of gifts I should bring back from England for everyone.

Kelly: Of course, you want to bring back some traditional things, don’t you? You could bring back some toy soldiers from the Royal Ceremonial Collection.

Alex: Kelly, you’re a genius! Royal Guard soldiers are not only very colourful, they represent English traditions too! My parents will really like them. Okay, now I have to think of something to buy for my sister. That’s a tough one!

Kelly: Don’t be so pessimistic, Alex. Does she like drinking tea? You could bring back an English teapot.

Alex: Of course! Another great idea! Now the toughest person to shop for — my brother. What in the world could I bring back for him?

Kelly: Didn’t you tell me that your brother is studying English now?

Alex: Yes, that’s right.

Kelly: So why not buy him a DVD so that he can watch a f ilm in English?

Alex: Sure, he’d love that. You amaze me, Kelly!

III. (тема) Let’s talk about life in the city and in the country.

Билет № 10

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