Использование научно-популярных текстов при подготовке к ОГЭ по английскому языку

Использование научно-популярных текстов при подготовке к ОГЭ по английскому языку

Материал подготовлен учителем английского языка МБОУ СОШ № 64 города Пензы Кудряшовой О.И.

В состав устной части ОГЭ по английскому языку входит короткий научно-популярный текст для прочтения вслух с соблюдением норм и правил чтения.

Начиная с 7 класса на уроках при прохождении тех или иных тем я предлагаю учащимся прочитать текст вслух с целью закрепления ЛЕ.

Далее привожу подборку текстов взятых с сайта ФИПИ (открытый банк), которые могут быть использованы при изучении определенных лексических тем.

Тема «Спорт»

Netball is played by over 20 million people in more than 70 countries of the world. It was invented in 1892 as women’s basketball. However, netball is different from basketball in many ways. For example, the ball and the basket are smaller and the court is bigger. The players cannot run with the ball. They are not allowed to touch the players who they are playing with. Netball has seven players in each team (not five as in basketball). During the 20th century, the game became very popular in English-speaking countries. Traditionally, only girls and women have played netball. Nowadays, netball is the number one women’s sport in the world but boys and men are starting to play it too.

Table tennis is the third most played sport in the world after football and cricket. It is considered to be an indoor version of Lawn Tennis. However, they have a lot of differences. Table tennis has a different scoring system, a smaller ball, smaller rackets, and a smaller playing area. Modern table tennis was invented at the end of the 19thcentury in England. Very soon the new sport became popular all over the world. In 1901, competitions with over 300 participants were already being held. According to numerous studies, table tennis has great effects on human health. It keeps the brain sharp and improves the player’s coordination. Since 1988, table tennis has been an Olympic sport.

Bicycles or bikes are an important means of transportation in many parts of the world. The first bicycles turned up in Europe in the first half of the19th century but the word ‘bicycle’ only appeared later, in 1868. There are more bicycles in the world than cars. About 100 million bicycles are produced worldwide each year. A lot of people have realized that cycling is an easy way to get around and a great way to cut down on pollution. More and more cities have special places where people can borrow a bike and ride around the city. Over the past few years, a bicycle infrastructure has been created in Moscow. Cycling in the centre of Moscow in summer is one of the most pleasant and quickest ways of seeing the city.

One day a young man who lived near the lake in a small American town asked himself, “Why can’t people ski on water if they can ski on snow?” With his brother’s help he constructed several models of skis to test his ideas. He experimented on the local lake for a few days and created skis suitable for the water. This happened in 1922. The young man, who was only 18 at that time, didn’t patent his invention. However, he performed a lot of shows across the country that made him and the sport of water skiing popular. Later, he was recognized as the creator of a new sport – water skiing.

Water skiing equipment has been greatly improved since that time, and the number of people who enjoy this sport is growing in many countries.

Тема «Космос»

Most people enjoy watching the night sky. And the brightest object in the sky is the Moon. Every night the Moon rises in the East and sets in the West. It takes about 27 days to go around the Earth, and it’s an interesting fact that we always see the same side of the Moon. The Moon is the closest object to the Earth. It would take us only 13 hours to get to the Moon by rocket. If we were able to travel at the speed of light, it would take a bit less than two seconds.

There is a very thin atmosphere on the Moon. Life is not possible there. In spite of this, the Moon can be used as a base for space exploration and even for space tourism. Some space companies say that they will be able to take tourists to the Moon as soon as in 2020.

Our planet is the only planet in the Solar System where rainbows are possible. They are not visible in big cities, due to pollution and smog. But if you are travelling after rain has fallen in the countryside or walking on the beach, you have a good chance to see a rainbow. The rainbow is a multi-coloured arc which appears in the sky. When you see a rainbow, the sun is always behind you and it is raining in front of you. It is impossible to get to the end of the rainbow and to touch it. When you move, the rainbow moves too. We have always learned that rainbows have 7 colours. However, until the 17th century, people used to think there were only 5 colours in the rainbow.

Тема «Природа»

A zoo, also known as a zoological park or a zoological garden, gives people the opportunity to watch animals from different continents. There are hundreds of zoos all over the world. However, most of them are located in major cities. The first zoo in Russia was opened in 1864, in Moscow. It was a small zoological garden. On the opening day, only 287 animals were on display. Nowadays, the Moscow Zoo is one of the largest in Europe. The unique collection of the Zoo includes over 8000 kinds of animals and birds. Scientists study the animals’ behavior and reproduction. They also breed rare animals there to stop them dying out.

The rainforest can be described as a thick and very tall jungle. The term rain comes from the great quantity of water that these forests get throughout the year. The rainforests are the world's greatest natural resources. They are called the lungs of our planet. Half of all the kinds of plants and animals that exist on the planet live in the rainforests. Unfortunately, the area with rainforests is being reduced due to global warming. 100 years ago, the rainforests covered 14 per cent of the earth’s surface. Now, it is only 6 per cent. Scientists say that if the process continues at this rate, the rainforests will have disappeared in 40 years.

The Caspian Sea is one of the world’s natural wonders. It shares the characteristics of both a sea and a lake. In the past it was called a sea because of its great size and salty water. However, the Caspian Sea is listed as the largest lake in the world. There are about 130 rivers which bring their water to the Caspian Sea. But it is not a freshwater lake – its water is very salty. The Caspian Sea is famous for its wildlife. More than 850 kinds of animals and 500 different plants can be found in this unique sea. The Caspian Sea region is also one of the oldest oil-producing areas in the world. It is also rich in other natural resources.

Earth Hour is an event that encourages people around the world to switch off electricity at the same time for one hour. Of course, switching off the lights for an hour makes a small difference to the amount of energy we use. But the aim of the event is not to save energy but to get people to think about the planet they live on. Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007. More and more countries join the ecological movement every year. Now, millions of people from 178 countries switch off their lights for 60 minutes at the end of March. People in Russia participate in this event too – large office buildings and small private houses go dark for Earth Hour.

Wombats are exotic animals that only live in Australia. They have become an unofficial symbol of the country. In 1974 a wombat appeared on an Australian stamp for the first time. Since then it has been regularly used on different Australian stamps and coins. Wombats look like little bears and prefer grass to meat. They also love eating berries, plant roots and mushrooms. Like camels, wombats drink little water because there is enough water in fresh grass. Wombats spend most of their life in holes under the ground. With their strong arms and long nails they are able to dig very long and complex tunnels. Fortunately, wombats have few enemies in the animal world. Most wombats live around 15 years.

The word ‘tsunami’ can be translated from Japanese as ‘big wave’. It describes a natural process that can be dangerous for people and their homes. Most of the huge waves appear after earthquakes. Most waves are born in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans where volcanoes are active. The mass of water rises from the bottom of the ocean and moves to the shore. It moves at a speed of a plane and can be up to 40 meters high. The wave is very powerful and dangerous. In 2004, a tsunami happened in the Indian Ocean. It was one of most terrible natural disasters in history. It hit 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Thousands of people were killed or went missing.

Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales. It is located in a national park. It stands at 1085 metres above sea level, and it is often described as the busiest mountain in Great Britain. Snowdon is very popular with tourists. If you are strong and brave enough to get to the top, you can enjoy wonderful views from there. On a clear day, you can see as far as Ireland! During the summer months there is a café at the top. There, tourists can get a welcome cup of tea, or soup if the weather is cold. If you feel too tired to walk back, you can always take the train down the mountain. The mountain railway was built in 1896. It is safe, and there have never been any accidents on this route.

People have always wanted to discover new things and new worlds. We have built spaceships to go to other planets and are planning to visit other galaxies one day. Meanwhile, we know very little about our own planet. The oceans, which cover 70 percent of the planet, are an unknown world to us. The Pacific Ocean is the largest one. The lowest point on the Earth is also there. It is called Challenger Deep and it was discovered in 1875. The Pacific Ocean stretches from the Arctic Ocean to the coast of Antarctica, but most of its water is in the warm tropics, which makes it warm. A lot of fish and animals live in the Pacific Ocean. The place is still waiting for researchers to discover its secrets for us.

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean of the world. It covers the northern polar region of the Earth. The Arctic region is a very cold place. The lowest recorded temperature there is minus 68 degrees. In spite of the cold, a lot of animals live on the Arctic ice. The polar bear is one of them. Now, due to global warming, the polar bear is in a serious trouble. The thing is that polar bears hunt seals and they need ice to do this. The bears wait for seals on the ice, hunt them in the water and go back to the shore. If the ice is too thin, it breaks under the bears’ heavy bodies and they may drown. The situation is getting worse and some researchers say the ocean may become ice-free as soon as 2050.