Все задания по чтению для огэ из фипи

1.  What is the most unusual way to get to church on Christmas night? 2.  Who can bring Christmas presents instead of Santa? 3.  Why is the first guest on Christmas Day so important? 4.  What creature helped to decorate a Christmas tree? 5.  What transport does Santa use in warm countries? 6.  How do people celebrate Christmas in hot climate? 7.  Why is Christmas celebrated on another date in this country?

A.  For people who live in the northern hemisphere, the thought of celebrating Christmas with great heat and bright sun seems strange and exotic. But in Australia, where the holiday falls in summer, it’s completely normal. Though most of the traditions of celebrating Christmas in Australia are the same as in European countries, there is still a little variation. On Christmas Day, most Australians have the holiday midday dinner outside. The dinner is often followed by some backyard cricket or a swim in the pool. B.  In Italy, children do not ask Santa Claus for presents. In their country an ugly, yet kind old witch named Befana performs Santa’s duties. The witch flies around the world on her broomstick and enters the houses down the chimney. She delivers toys, clothing and candy to well-behaved children and puts coal — or dark candy — in bad kids’ socks. C.  A Ukrainian legend tells us about children from a poor family. Unfortunately, their parents could not afford any Christmas decorations and the kids were upset. However, on Christmas morning when the children woke up, they saw that spiders had spun webs of shiny silk around the tree’s branches. The sun turned each thread into silver and gold. Even nowadays the Ukrainians decorate their trees with spider webs to welcome good luck. D.  Different celebrations take place over Christmas in Scotland. One of the most important traditions is called First-Footing. Once midnight strikes, all eyes await the arrival of the year’s first visitor. The person who crosses the home’s threshold first is said to bring good fortune for the year ahead. Top of the lucky list: a male, dark-haired visitor. Women or blonde men are believed to be unlucky. E.  According to tradition, on Christmas Eve some Russian people don’t eat anything until the first star has appeared in the sky. In Russia, Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January, not on the 25th of December like in most other countries. The different date of the holiday is because the Orthodox Church uses the old ‘Julian’ calendar for religious celebration days. F.  Like in most countries the locals of Venezuela, especially in their capital city, Caracas, go to church on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, in Caracas, people of all ages don’t just walk to church, they usually roller skate to church. The streets of Caracas are closed to vehicles up to 8am on Christmas Day to make way for their citizens who use roller skates to travel to and from church. Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival is the largest open air music and arts festival in the world. It became an example which other festivals followed. Of course, Glastonbury is best known for modern music, but its programme also includes dance, comedy, theatre, circus and other arts. The festival organiser, Michael Eavis, was a common farmer. In 1970 he visited an open air concert which greatly impressed him. So he decided to organise a big festival outdoors in the same year. He knew, it wouldn’t bring any money, but it didn’t matter. At the first festival there were more than one thousand people. Each of them paid £1 for the ticket. The price also included free milk from the farm. Later on, the festival took place almost every year and grew in size and audience. The festival takes place in southwest England on a farm. It's a beautiful and mystical place called the Valley of Avalon. It is surrounded with a lot of legends, symbols, myths, and religious traditions dating back many hundreds of years. Legends say that here King Arthur's sword was made and the king himself was buried there. No wonder that the main stage of the festival, Pyramid Stage, has the form of a pyramid. Many believe that this is a very powerful structure, which gets energy from the stars and gives it to people. In many ways, Glastonbury is like a mix of different festivals, which take place in the countryside and last for a weekend. Each area of the festival has its own character, its own fans and its own special attractions. For example, dance lovers go to the Dance Village. There is also a big cinema area, Theatre and Circus. Children can have fun in the Kids’ Field. Some people spend the whole weekend in their favourite area. However, most of them prefer walking about and trying lots of different things. Most people who stay at Glastonbury Festival live in tents. There are lots of different camping areas, each one with its own atmosphere. You can choose where to stay: in a quiet place or a lively one. There are also places for families and disabled people. Anyway, you should remember to bring a tent with you. Of course, it's possible to rent one, but it's quite expensive. Glastonbury Festival supports Greenpeace and has a number of programmes. There are hundreds of rubbish bins on the territory. All cans, glass, paper, electrical and electronic equipment, wood and waste are separated and recycled. Visitors are asked to clean after themselves and not to leave rubbish. The festival supports those who come by public transport or by bicycle, not by car. If you're thinking about visiting Glastonbury, you should book tickets in advance. Today an average ticket is about £200 for three days which is quite expensive. Nevertheless the tickets are sold out in two or three hours. So be quick to catch them. There are usually more people wishing to get to the festival than tickets. 1 Michael Eavis was fond of country music. 2 Michael Eavis started the festival to earn money. 3 Nowadays Glastonbury festival is held in King Arthur’s museum. 4 Famous musicians and singers take part in Glastonbury Festival. 5 During the festival all the visitors stay in the nearby country inns. 6 Glastonbury Festival is an environmentally-friendly event. 7 It’s recommended to reserve tickets to Glastonbury Festival beforehand. 1.       What should you take out of your luggage when you travel to Singapore? 2.       Which city has much in common with Singapore? 3.       What is the coldest month on the island? 4.       How do the people of the island feel about their weather? 5.       What animal gave its name to the city? 6.       How many official languages has the country got? 7.       How does the government limit the number of car owners? A.      There are only three city-states in the world. One of them is Singapore, a small country in South East Asia. It can be called a modern equivalent to the Italian medieval Venice. Both cities are built on islands and became wealthy by trade. Like medieval Venice, Singapore is an independent city-state and is governed by a small group of powerful politicians and businessmen. B.      Modern Singapore is full of numerous statues of the king of animals. According to legend, the founder of the city saw a lion on the island and decided that it was a sign of good luck. The Malay word for the country, Singapura, means Lion City. However, zoologists doubt that he could see a lion because lions have never lived on the island. More likely, he saw a tiger or another kind of big cat native to the area. C.      From an extremely humid but sunny morning to a gloomy and rainy afternoon, and then to a cloudy, starless night sky; Singapore is predictable in its climate. A week of terrible heat follows a week of non-stop rainfall. In general, tourists think February is the best month to visit the country. The citizens of Singapore disagree. They think that any time is good – you just have to accept the hot and rainy weather. D.      Singapore has three main communities. The largest group is the Chinese, then come the Malays and the smallest group is the Indians. English is the language of government, television and universities. Along with English, the official languages of the country are Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. The national anthem Majulah Singapura is actually sung in Malay. E.      The island is densely populated and the government has to think about the environment. Unlike in most countries, citizens of Singapore cannot just buy a car. To own a car, a citizen must enter his or her name in a lottery that is drawn twice a month. If the citizen wins the lottery, he or she is granted a Certificate which allows them to own a car for 10 years. Then it is necessary to pay a registration fee, which is 140% of the value of the car. F.      When you are in Singapore, you can’t buy chewing gum anywhere. It is illegal to import or sell gum in the country. The sale of gum was prohibited in 1992 after gum was used to shut down the SMRT, the country's public transportation system. The gum was stuck on the sensor doors and the system was paralyzed. The punishment for bringing gum into the country is a year in prison and a big fine. Fish and chips Long before the Big Mac was invented, Britain had its own national form of fast food – fish and chips (or fish’n’chips for short). Fish'n'chips was a relatively balanced and healthy meal that people could eat in the street on the way home from work, or during their lunch-break. Wrapped in newspaper, it would keep warm even on the coldest days of the year. Besides, serving fish'n'chips in newspaper helped to keep prices low. No British town is more than 150 km from a sea port, and most are much closer. So when railways were built in the 19th century, fresh sea fish could easily be bought in all British towns. Cheaper than meat, sea fish became a popular source of protein. By 1870, fish and chip shops were opening all over the country and soon every town in Britain had its fish’n’chip shops. For a hundred years, they were a popular British style restaurant. In the last quarter of the 20th century, things changed. "Fish and chips are not so popular with young people these days," says Lizzie, a teenager. "Most of the time, if young people want to eat out, they'll go to a Burger King or a Chinese take-away. Fish 'n' chips is a bit old-fashioned. But there are still cheap chip shops around. We sometimes have it at home, and we go and get it from the chip shop. It saves cooking!" Thousands of chip shops have closed in the last twenty-five years. Some have been turned into Chinese or Indian take-aways, others have just closed. They have survived best in seaside towns, where the fish is really fresh, and people visit them more as a tradition than for any other reason. Yet nothing, perhaps, can save the classic fish'n'chip shop from disappearance. Fish'n'chips wrapped in newspaper is already just a memory. European hygiene rules don’t allow food to be wrapped in old newspapers, so today's chip shops use cardboard boxes. Of course, you can still eat fish and chips with your fingers if you want, but there are now plastic throw-away forks for people who do not want to get greasy fingers! In spite of these changes, the classic fish'n'chip shop could disappear in a few years' time for another reason – lack of fish. For over ten years European agriculture ministers have been trying to solve the fish problem but with little success. As a result of industrial fishing, some types of fish are disappearing. Limits on the number of fish that can be caught have been introduced, but fishermen in Britain and other countries protest against them because jobs are lost. At some point, thousands of European fishermen could lose their jobs anyway, as there will be few fish left to catch. Soon sea fish will become rarer and, as a result, more expensive. The traditional fish’n’chip shops will certainly continue to reduce in number. Soon cheap fish’n’chip shops will be gone completely. Fish and chips, however, will survive as a high-priced specialty in some expensive restaurants. In the years to come, they may become the only place where you can try this traditional English dish.  1 Fish’n’chips became popular much earlier than Big Macs.  2 Traditionally only fish with white meat were used to make fish’n’chips. 3 In the 19th  century, in Britain, fish was more expensive than meat. 4 According to Lizzie, today’s young people prefer burgers to fish’n’chips. 5 The number of fish’n’chip shops in Britain is rising steadily. 6 New packaging has made fish’n’chips more popular. 7 In the near future there will be fewer places where people can try fish’n’chips. 1.       Which object made the company famous? 2.       Why are some sets of LEGO twice as big? 3.       Where does the name LEGO come from? 4.       Why is LEGO considered to be aneducational toy? 5.       Who are the owners of LEGO? 6.       Why do adults enjoy LEGO toys? 7.       What can make some LEGO-toy customers unhappy? A.      The company that makes the famous little plastic bricks known as LEGO started as a small shop in the town of Billund in Denmark. At first the shop sold wooden toys and other things. Soon the business became known as LEGO. It came from the Danish words ‘LEg GOdt’, meaning ‘play well’. Later, it was realized that the original meaning in Latin was ‘I put together’. B.      The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Cristiansen. The company has come a long way from a small carpenter’s workshop to a modern, global corporation, the world’s third-largest producer of toys. Lego has passed from father to son and is now owned by a grandchild of the founder. As a child, he often came up with the ideas for new models and Lego sets. C.      The brick, the main component of all Lego sets, appeared in its present form in 1958 and since then has remained compatible with previous editions. This little piece of plastic offers unlimited building possibilities. It lets children experiment and try out their creative ideas. The LEGO company owes its success to the traditional Lego brick. The company has been awarded ‘Toy of the Century’ twice. D.      Last year Charlotte Benjamin wrote a letter to the Lego Company in which she complained that, during a visit to the toy store, she noticed that ‘there are lots of Lego boy people and barely any Lego girls.’ She felt sad that, in Lego, girl figures mostly sat at home, went shopping and had no job. At the same time boy figures went on adventures, worked, saved people and ‘even swam with sharks’. E.      The LEGO Group produces thousands of sets with a variety of themes. In 1969 the company introduced Lego Duplo, designed for children who are 1 to 5 years old. Duplo bricks are twice the length, height and width of traditional Lego bricks. It makes them easier to handle and less likely to be swallowed by younger children. Duplo sets now include farm, zoo, town, castle and pirate sets. F.      Lego Games are a great way of having fun together with family and friends. These sets excite imagination and improve creativity because the child needs to put a game together before he or she can play it. They also develop hand and eye coordination, teach children to follow directions with logic and find scientific and technological solutions. In a fun way, these games promote basic ideas of Maths, Geometry and Engineering.

 Cambridge University

Cambridge University is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world (after the University of Oxford) and the seventh-oldest in the world.

The story of Cambridge University begins in 1209 when several hundred students arrived in the little town of Cambridge after having walked 60 miles from Oxford. These students were all churchmen and had been studying in Oxford at that city's well-known schools. It was a hard life at Oxford for there was constant trouble, even fighting, between the citizens of the town and the students. Then one day a student accidentally killed a man of the town. The Mayor arrested three other students who were innocent and they were put to death. In protest, many students left Oxford, some of them went to Cambridge. And so the new University began.

It was Cambridge University. Of course, there were no Colleges in those early days and student life was very different from what it is now. The students were of all ages and came from anywhere and everywhere. Life in College was strict. The students were forbidden to play games, to sing (except sacred music), to hunt or fish or even to dance. Books were very rare and all the lessons were in the Latin language which students were supposed to speak even among themselves.

In 1440 King Henry VI founded King's College, and other colleges followed.

Nowadays there are more than 30 different colleges, including five for women students and several mixed colleges, in the University. The number of students in colleges is different: from 30 to 400 or 500.

The training course lasts 4 years. The academic year is divided into 3 terms. The students study natural and technical sciences, law, history, languages, geography, medicine, economics, agriculture, music and many other subjects. After 3 years of study a student may proceed to a Bachelor’s degree, and later to the degrees of Master and Doctor.

There are many ancient traditions that are still observed at Cambridge. For example, the students are required to wear gowns at lectures, in the University library, in the street in the evening, for dinners in the colleges and for official visits.

All the students must pay for their education - classes, examinations, books, laboratories, university hostel, the use of libraries. The cost is high. It depends on college and university speciality. Very few students get grants.

Many great men studied at Cambridge, for example, Bacon (the philosopher), Milton and Byron (the poets), Cromwell (the soldier), Newton (the outstanding physicist), Darwin (who is famous for his theory of evolution) and Kapitsa (the famous Russian physicist).

1 Cambridge University was founded earlier than the University of Oxford

2 The citizens of Cambridge were happy to get the university in their town.

3 Nowadays there are several female colleges in Cambridge University.

4 At present, the students of Cambridge University have to study Latin.

5 The students of Cambridge University have their own dress code.

6 The education at Cambridge University is free.

7 There are famous scientists among the graduates of Cambridge University.

1.         Why do a lot of letters come to the Italian city on Valentine’s Day?

2.       Why is it important to see the right bird on Valentine’s Day?

3.       What message can be sent with the flowers?

4.       Why do some people give St Valentine’s presents to their pets?

5.       What is a different way to celebrate February 14?

6.       How did the holiday get its name?

7.       Why did a traditional St Valentine’s box of sweets have the form of a heart?

A.      Chocolate is the most common present on St. Valentine’s Day. The tradition goes back to the 1800s when doctors made patients eat chocolate to make them feel happier. This might also be the reason why in the 1860s, Richard Cadbury produced his heart-shaped box of chocolates exclusively for Valentine’s Day.

B.      St Valentine’s Day is a perfect occasion to express your deepest feelings to the person you love. On Valentine's Day lovers, friends and family members exchange Valentine’s Day gifts as symbols of love. However, statistics show that nearly 9 million people prefer celebrating Valentine’s Day with their pets and give them presents. The reason is that most pet owners consider animals to be more grateful and loyal than humans.

C.      Each rose sent on Valentine’s Day has some meaning. For example, a red rose means love and respect and pink says, ‘I am having sweet thoughts about you’. Also, it is believed that one rose stands for love at first sight, eleven flowers mean that the receiver is truly and deeply loved and a hundred and eight roses are recommended for marriage proposals.

D.      Some superstitions about seeing birds on Valentine’s Day are really funny. It was once believed that if a woman saw a flying robin, she would get married to a sailor. However, if she saw a sparrow, her future husband would be poor. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire. There is no answer to who she would marry if she saw a pigeon, as history does not say anything about pigeons.

E.      Romeo and Juliet, the two characters from the play by William Shakespeare, are remembered all over the world as an emblem of romance. The young lovers lived in Verona, Italy. Every Valentine’s Day, this city still receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet. The fictional character is still alive for many people who believe in romantic and immortal love.

F.      Started by a group of feminists, Quirkyalone Day is celebrated on February 14 as an alternative to Valentine’s Day. The new holiday started in 2003 as a celebration of romance, freedom and individuality. It’s a day to celebrate the things you enjoy doing alone. Ways to celebrate include: buying yourself a new dress, taking a long walk without your mobile phone, exploring a new part of town, trying a new recipe etc.

Hermitage cats

Hermitage cats have been officially kept in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, since its foundation. The cats prevented intensive breeding of rats and mice in the State Hermitage Museum. The director of the Hermitage, Mikhail Piotrovsky, said, “cats have become a very important part of our Hermitage lives and a significant part of Hermitage Legends.”

It is believed that the history of the Hermitage cats started with a cat that was brought from Holland by Peter the Great. In the XVIII century there were lots of rats in the Old Winter Palace. The history of cats continued due to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Visiting Kazan she noticed that there were no rats and mice in the city because of the large number of cats. The Empress ordered to bring some Kazan cats to St Petersburg, to the old Winter Palace. The cats had done their job, and almost all the rats disappeared from the palace. After the construction of the Winter Palace, the cats settled down in the new building too. The founder of the Hermitage, Empress Catherine II gave the cats the status of ‘gallery guards’.

Cats in the Hermitage existed for a long time, during the war with Napoleon, and after the revolution, under the Soviet regime. In 1941, when the Great Patriotic War began, the works of art were evacuated to the Urals, in Sverdlovsk.

After the war, two cars brought new cats to the Hermitage. The rats, that had invaded the building during the war, stepped back. However, in the 1960s it was decided that the cats were not needed any more. Employees of the museum caught the cats and took them away. But, soon after, rats invaded the building. Since then, the museum has never got rid of its cats.

Today, about seventy cats live in the Hermitage to protect it from mice and rats. Each cat has its own passport and a veterinary card. They live comfortably in the basement. The place where they live is always warm and dry, and all the rooms of the basement are equipped with small holes, to let the cats move freely inside and outside the building.

The Hermitage employees regularly buy food for the cats. They try to make their meals healthy and diverse. Each cat has its own bowl, tray and basket to sleep. In summer, the cats are more often outside on the lawns and courtyards than in their basement.

To control the number of cats in the Hermitage, employees sometimes give away their cats to residents of the city. The new owner has to present their passport and leave their contact details. The adopted animals are accompanied by a certificate from the Hermitage.

1 According to its director, the Hermitage is the only museum in Russia where cats are kept officially.

2 During the reign of Empress Catherine II the cats received official status.

3 During the Great Patriotic War the Hermitage cats were taken to Sverdlovsk to guard the works of art.

4 Nowadays all the cats are settled in the attic of the Hermitage.

5 The Hermitage cats are taken good care of.

6 The cats are not allowed to leave the building of the museum.

7 The new owner of a Hermitage cat can visit the museum free of charge.

1.       What is the capital of the Falkland Islands?

2.       Where can you learn about the islands’ history?

3.       What is the emblem of the Falkland Islands?

4.       What do the local people do for a living?

5.       What energy resources are used on the islands?

6.       What is the educational policy of the Falkland Islands?

7.       What was the result of the conflict between Argentina and the UK?

A.      About 250 miles off the coast of South America lie the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory. About 3,000 people live on the islands. Like most isolated communities around the world, they are always pleased to welcome tourists. The people of the Falkland Islands mostly work in sheep farming and fishing.

B.      Everything outside Stanley, known locally as Camp, is home to numerous farms and settlements spread across the islands. In fact,over three quarters of the population live in Stanley. Although one of the smallest capitals in the world, Stanley provides a variety of supermarkets, excellent restaurants and hotels, a swimming pool, gym and golf course.

C.      Open whenever tour ships are in the port, the Falkland Islands Museum contains artifacts from everyday life, natural history samples and a fine collection relating to the islands’ shipwrecks. Outdoor exhibition sites include the Reclus Hut, originally made in Stanley, then shipped to Antarctica and set up there in 1956. Forty years later the famous house was brought back.

D.      There are only about 380 children of school age living on the islands. For them, there is a primary and a secondary school in Stanley and three small settlement schools on large farms. Other rural pupils are taught by ‘travelling’ teachers. Schooling is free and compulsory for children between five and sixteen years of age. The government pays for older students to attend colleges, usually in the UK.

E.      The Falkland Islands government is taking advantage of cheap wind power. Since 1996, the government has been investing in the development of alternative sources of energy and can already enjoy the results. The Islands have experimented with other forms of energy, including hydro-electric and solar power. However, these forms cannot match the effectiveness of wind power yet.

F.      The Falklands War was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom. It started with the Argentine invasion and occupation of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The war lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine defeat. However, Argentina still has not fully given up its claim to the territory of the islands.

‘The 1900 House’

‘The 1900 House’ was a reality television programme in Britain. It took people back a hundred years to the time of Queen Victoria, when there were no computers, mobile phones or the Internet. The idea of the show was to give people an experience of living in the past.

A modern family, the Bowler family, spent three months living like people at the beginning of the 20th century. There were the parents (Paul and Joyce) and their four children (three daughters and a son). The cameras recorded them every day. The house didn't have a telephone, a fridge, a TV set or even central heating. The Bowlers wore clothes from 1900 and ate the food that existed in England at that time. There wasn't much to choose from. The main dishes on the table were meat and fish, and the day usually started with a cup of tea and porridge.

The father of the family, Paul Bowler, still went to work but in an old-fashioned uniform. He couldn't read newspapers or use a computer. The mother, Joyce, became a housewife and stayed home. She did all the cleaning, washing and cooking. The children still went to school, but they changed their clothes on the way to and from school so their classmates wouldn’t know anything about this unusual project.

The Bowlers noticed that life at the beginning of the century was much slower. It was rather hard for them to get used to the new speed. For example, it took 28 minutes to boil water and make a cup of tea. And can you imagine cleaning the house without a vacuum cleaner or washing clothes without a washing machine? There wasn't any toothpaste or modern shampoo. Without central heating nobody thought about a warm bath or a shower in the morning. Toothbrushes were made of pig and horse hair. Toothpaste was expensive so most people cleaned their teeth using salt or soda. The children thought it was horrible.

11-year-old Hilary said: "The most difficult thing was finding entertainment. We couldn't go to the cinema or to a café. It was a new experience to be with the family for half a day or more. It was new and hard to be nice to each other all the time. But I really think we all became closer."

17-year-old Kathryn remembered that she couldn't wear any make-up. She had to wear a corset every day and had only three sets of clothes: one to wear every day, the second – to wear while cleaning, and the third was for special events, like celebrations.

When the show was over the Bowlers were asked: what did you miss most from the modern world? The father said it was a hot shower. The mother had longed to have a quick cup of tea. The daughters said it was the music, the hot water, shampoo and “normal sounds like the washing machine” which they missed. For the son it was pizza and the computer.

It's interesting that the family was allowed to keep anything they wanted after the project. Joyce took her corset and each of the children took something from the house to remind them of their experience.

 1 ‘The 1900 House’ is a TV programme about Queen Victoria’s life.

2 There were only two rooms and a kitchen in the house.

3 During the project Mr Bowler learnt the news from the newspapers.

4 The children had to miss their school classes because of the project.

5 Because of the project Hilary had to spend more time with her family.

6 During the project it was difficult for the Bowler’s boy to live without his computer.

7 After the project the family bought a new house.

1.       How did the band get their first manager?

2.       How many songs did The Beatles record?

3.       What does the band’s name mean?

4.       What music of the band was lost forever?

5.       How did The Beatles start?

6.       What sort of music did The Beatles play?

7.       How did The Beatles conquer America?

A.      The Fab Four, the famous Liverpool musical group commonly known as The Beatles, reached the peak of their popularity in the 1960s. But the real story began much earlier when Paul McCartney heard the skiffle country music played by John Lennon’s group at St. Paul’s church in Liverpool. McCartney was a brilliant guitarist, so they let him join the group at once.

B.      The group changed its name several times, from Johnny and the Moondogs to Long John and the Silver Beatles and finally The Beatles. The short title is in itself a smart mixture of two words. The beat is a synonym for musical rhythm, while the beetles describe insects producing sounds using their shiny wings.

C.      Lennon, Harrison, McCartney and Starr were the heart of The Beatles while the other members constantly changed. Many guitarists and drummers joined but finally left the group. The style changed too. When The Beatles left Britain to perform in Europe, they turned from folk to rock-n-roll to win over the public. They also played foreign music and composed their own songs.

D.      Soon the group issued their first single, My Bonnie, which became popular in Liverpool. A customer once asked for it in a music shop, but there were no copies left. When Epstein, the shop owner, finally got the disc, he was surprised to hear a good quality song by the group that played in the club next to his shop. The same month he signed the first contract with The Beatles as their musical agent.

E.      Although in 1963 the group issued more than three hundred thousand copies of their second album at home, they only broke the American market a year later. During their first tour to the USA the group was welcomed by thousands of fans at Kennedy airport in New York. For half a year The Beatles were touring the USA and were top of the charts.

F.      During their USA tour The Beatles visited Elvis Presley. They talked a lot, played music and managed to record several priceless compositions. The reason why none of the songs have been issued is widely discussed today. No matter how hard musical agents tried to find the recordings, they failed. This is one of the secrets The Beatles left unrevealed.

David Beckham

         David Beckham – is there a more famous and lovable celebrity? The footballer who played for such famous teams as Manchester United and Real Madrid is also a fashion model and a successful businessman.

David Beckham was born on May 2, 1975, in London, England. His father Ted Beckham was a kitchen fitter and his mother Sandra, a hair stylist. David Beckham was the family's only son. A middle child between two sisters, David grew up with parents and relatives who were great fans of Manchester United, England's legendary football club. From childhood, David was a promising footballer. At 11 he won the prestigious Bobby Charlton Soccer Schools National Skills Competition. David was noticed by Manchester United team officials, who asked him to try out for the club's youth league. By the age of 16, Beckham had to drop out of school. He left home to play for his favourite team. Two years later he became a full-time player for Manchester United and one of its leading figures.

From 1992 to 2003, playing for Manchester United, David Beckham scored 85 goals. Every time he had a game, he wore different football boots – it was a sort of ritual for good luck. In 2003, David unexpectedly left his beloved team for Real Madrid. The reason was the growing conflict between David Beckham and Manchester's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Once Sir Alex Ferguson fined David for babysitting with his sick child, while his wife Victoria, a designer, was at a London Fashion Week Event. The fine was really large. The incident caused a serious personal tension between the two men and ended in Beckham moving to the other club.

In Real Madrid, David Beckham was not allowed to wear his favourite number seven, because the right to wear it was written into the contract of another player. Instead, David decided to wear a shirt with number 23, which was the number of his favourite basketball player Michael Jordan. Though David Beckham immediately became very popular with the Real Madrid fans and his shirt sales made a lot of money for the football club, the team didn’t win any serious tournaments. Perhaps, it was one of the reasons why in 2007 Beckham signed a five-year contract to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy and moved to America. However, his career in America was a rocky one – numerous injuries affected him. In May 2013, David Beckham announced his plans to retire.

It’s important to say that David Beckham has always been a devoted husband and a loving father. David and his wife Victoria have three sons and a daughter. They say the boys are being trained as ‘bodyguards’ for their little sister Harper. The youngest, Cruz, has been practicing Taekwondo, Brooklyn is interested in boxing, and the oldest, Romeo, does karate. They are preparing early so that when Harper is older, “they will all be ready to protect her from noisy fans,” David says.

1.David Beckham's parents were professional sportsmen.

2. David Beckham’s school teachers supported his interest in football.

3. When he was with Manchester United, David Beckham played all the games in the same lucky boots.

4.David Beckham left Manchester United because he had problems with the team manager.

5 David Beckham wore the same number in Manchester United and Real Madrid.

6 David Beckham left Real Madrid for an American football club.

7 The Beckhams’ sons want to become professional sportsmen.

1.       Why is the musical about Shrek successful?

2.       What makes Shrek different from traditional fairytale characters?

3.       The voices of which celebrities can we hear in the cartoons about Shrek?

4.       What famous films do the cartoons about Shrek remind us of?

5.       Why do children like the cartoons about Shrek?

6.       Why can Shreks story be interesting to computer gamers?

7.       What person does Shrek look like?

A.      Somewhere in a far-away magical kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess, a prince and animals who could talk like humans. This is a typical plot for many fairy tales. In 1990, a short story for children about Shrek, a big green troll, appeared. Unlike previous heroes he looked ugly and scary but had a big, kind heart. In 2001, DreamWorks studio made the first animated Shrek cartoon.

B.      All the characters of the cartoons about Shrek are easy to remember and have a good sense of humour. The cartoons are full of episodes about friendship, good and evil, love and family values. The cartoons present an amusing mixture of traditional fairy tales and real-life events familiar to everyone. All that made the story of the troll very popular, especially with children.

C.      Maurice Tillet was a famous professional French boxer and wrestler of the 20th century. Unfortunately, at the age of twenty he got a rare disease which changed his body and appearance. It made him look like a huge troll. Few people know that Shrek’s appearance copies that of Maurice Tillet. However,in contrast to the cartoon character, Maurice Tillet was highly intelligent – he spoke fourteen languages and was good at writing prose.

D.      Several scenes in cartoons about Shrek are based on scenes from famous movies. For example, the ‘Welcome to Duloc’ song sounds like the popular Disney tune ‘It’s a Small World’. During the fight between Fiona and Robin Hood’s men, the camera moves as in ‘The Matrix’. There are hints of the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Mission Impossible’.

E.      The famous story was also made into a Broadway show, ‘Shrek the Musical’. Technically, the musical show is not the same as the film but it has its advantages. Children and adults enjoy seeing celebrities in the roles of Shrek and Princess Fiona. The success of the musical is also based on a nice combination of new and old popular songs.

F.      The stories about the green troll and his friends are for all ages. Teenagers and grown-ups may enjoy modern computer games about Shrek. Computer stories have attractive design and dynamic plots, so gamers and fans will not be bored. Though the images of Shrek and Fiona are a bit different from the film, they are easily recognizable.

Scouts

On January 24, 1908, the Boy Scout movement started in England with the publication of Robert Baden-Powell's handbook Scouting for Boys. The name Baden-Powell, a brave officer, was already well-known to many English boys, and thousands of them eagerly bought the handbook. By the end of April, numerous Boy Scout troops had appeared across Britain.

In 1900, General Baden-Powell became a national hero in Britain for his 217-day defence of Mafeking in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Soon after, his military field manual, Aids to Scouting, written for British soldiers in 1899, became popular with a younger audience. Boys loved the lessons on tracking and observation and organized outdoor games using the book. Hearing this, Baden-Powell decided to write a non-military field manual for teenagers that would also emphasize the importance of morality and good deeds.

First, however, he decided to try out some of his ideas on an actual group of boys. On July 25, 1907, he took a diverse group of 21 boys to Brownsea Island in Dorset, where they set up camp for two weeks. With the aid of other instructors, he taught the boys about camping, observation, deduction, woodcraft, boating, life saving, and good manners. Many of these lessons were learned through original games that were very popular with the boys. The first Boy Scout meeting was a great success. Soon the handbook Scouting for Boys appeared.

With the success of Scouting for Boys, Baden-Powell set up a central Boy Scouts' office, which registered new Scouts and designed a uniform. By the end of 1908, there were 60,000 Boy Scouts, and troops began to appear in British Commonwealth countries across the globe. The Scout movement supported the boys in their physical, mental and spiritual development. The boys learned to work together to achieve goals, they also gave a promise to live by certain rules, and to help others when they could.

In September 1909, the first national Boy Scout meeting was held at the Crystal Palace in London. Ten thousand Scouts showed up, including a group of uniformed girls who called themselves the Girl Scouts. A year later, Baden-Powell organized the Girl Guides as a separate organization.

The American version of the Boy Scouts has its origins in an event that occurred in London in 1909. Chicago publisher William Boyce lost his way in the fog. So he stopped under a street light to read his map when he was approached by a young British boy. The boy asked the man if he could help and William Boyce explained that he had got lost. After guiding Boyce to his destination, the boy refused a tip, explaining that as a Boy Scout he would not accept payment for doing a good deed. This anonymous gesture inspired Boyce to organize several regional U.S. youth organizations. The Scouts movement soon spread throughout the country. In 1912, Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts of America in Savannah, Georgia.

In 1920 the first international Boy Scout Jamboree was held in London, and Robert Baden-Powell got the title Chief Scout of the World. The founder of the Scout organization died in 1941.

Nowadays, the Scouts Movement exists in 216 different countries all over the world, there are more than 28 million boy scouts and over 10 million girl scouts.

1 Robert Baden-Powell was a secondary school teacher.

2 The success of Aids to Scouting made Robert Baden-Powell write a similar book for young people.

3 The word scout was invented by Robert Baden-Powell.

4 The first camp organised by Robert Baden-Powell on an island was a failure.

5 The Boy Scouts’ rules and the Girl Scouts’ rules were different.

6 William Boyce founded the Boy Scouts organization in the USA because he was impressed by the behaviour of a British Scout.

7 Robert Baden-Powell was awarded the title Chief Scout of the World after his death.

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1.         What other necessary things had to be done to start operating the Channel Tunnel? 2.         Why didn’t the British support the first project of the Channel Tunnel? 3.         How many tunnels does the project actually contain? 4.         What are the safety tips while travelling through the Channel Tunnel? 5.         What are the possible ways for a passenger to travel through the Channel tunnel? 6.         Why is the Channel Tunnel considered to be a great engineering achievement? 7.         What was the most difficult task in constructing the Channel Tunnel? A.      The Channel Tunnel (or Chunnel) is a long tunnel between England and France under the English Channel. The section under the sea is 38km long and the entire length is 50.5km. At its lowest point it is 75 metres deep. The Channel Tunnel is the longest undersea tunnel in the world. The tunnel was recognised as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Modern World’ by the American Society of Engineers. B.      For centuries, crossing the English Channel via boat had been considered a miserable task. The windy weather and choppy water made travellers seasick. So, in 1802, French engineer Albert Favier was the first person whoproposed to dig a tunnel under the water of the channel. Favier’s plan was adopted by French leader Napoleon Bonaparte. But the British rejected the plan. They feared that Napoleon wanted to build the tunnel in order to invade England. C.      At the end of the 20th century the idea was revived. The digging of the Channel Tunnel began simultaneously from the British and the French coasts. The greatest challenge was making sure that both the British side of the tunnel and the French side actually met up in the middle. Special lasers and surveying equipment were used. On December 1, 1990, the meeting of the two sides was officially celebrated. For the first time in history, Great Britain and France were connected. D.      Although the meeting of the two sides of the service tunnel was a cause for great celebration, it certainly wasn't the end of the Channel Tunnel building project. Crossover tunnels, land tunnels from the coast to the terminals, electrical systems, fireproof doors, the ventilation system and train tracks all had to be added. Also, large train terminals had to be built at Folkestone in Great Britain and Coquelles in France. E.      It took 13,000 engineers and technicians to construct the Channel Tunnel. In fact, there are two running tunnels, one each way. Additionally, there is a smaller service tunnel with a crossover in the middle, so in case there’s an emergency, the trains can actually change to either side. It is wrong to call it a tunnel as there are actually three tunnels. The tunnels are about 50 meters below the seabed. F.      If you want to use the tunnel, you have got a choice. You can either go on a passenger train, the Eurostar, which departs from London, Paris and Brussels city centres. Or you can go on the drive-on service, called the Eurotunnel Shuttle, starting close to the tunnel entrance where you drive your car or truck onto special rail cars. The Open Window          Mr. Nuttel, a young gentleman, came to live in the country. The doctors said a quiet place like that and complete rest could help cure his nerves. He didn’t know anyone round there. That’s why his sister gave him letters of introduction to some nice people she knew.           One of the letters was to Mrs. Sappleton. When Mr. Nuttel visited her, Mrs Sappleton was busy and he was asked to wait for several minutes. The servant invited Mr. Nuttel into a room. There Mr. Nuttel met Mrs. Sappleton’s niece, a very self-confident young lady of fifteen. The young lady asked him what he knew about her aunt. Mr. Nuttel knew nothing except Mrs. Sappleton’s name and address.          Mr. Nuttel looked around. There was something about the room that told him there were other people living in the house. So he was wondering if           Mrs. Sappleton was married. Suddenly the girl got sad and told a story of          Mrs. Sappleton’s tragedy. Mr. Nuttel was greatly surprised because his sister hadn’t told him anything about it. The tragedy was very unusual for that peaceful place.           The girl pointed at the French window, which opened on to the lawn and said that Mrs. Sappleton always kept it open.  Mr. Nuttel stated that it was natural to keep the window open because the weather was quite warm. But the girl sighed and explained that her poor aunt always kept the window open in the evenings because she was waiting for her husband and sons to return. Three years ago they had gone hunting and never came back. The story caught Mr. Nuttel’s imagination deeply. He felt very upset.          He felt a little better only when Mrs. Sappleton finally appeared in the room. She apologized for being late and asked if he minded the open window. She said her husband and sons would soon be home from hunting. They always came in that way. Then, she continued talking cheerfully about hunting ducks. But Mr. Nuttel felt terrible.          He made an attempt to change the topic and told her about the reasons why he had come to the country. But Mrs. Sappleton didn’t seem to notice. She was constantly looking at the open window. Mr. Nuttel felt uncomfortable. He understood that he had chosen the wrong moment to visit her. Suddenly             Mrs. Sappleton cried happily pointing at the window, “Here they are at last, just in time for tea!” Three male figures were walking across the lawn towards the window. They carried guns and a dog followed them.          Shocked and afraid, Mr. Nuttel grabbed his stick and hat and rushed out of the house. Mrs. Sappleton was extremely surprised at the extraordinary man who had left the house so quickly without a word. Her niece suggested that it was because of the dog. She said that Mr. Nuttel had been afraid of them since childhood – once, a dog had seriously bitten him. This was enough to make the young man lose his nerve. The young lady was so good at making up stories! 1 Mr. Nuttel came to the village to improve his health. 2 Mr. Nuttel was an old friend of Mrs. Sappleton. 3 According to Mrs. Sappleton’s niece, a great tragedy had happened in her aunt’s family three years before. 4 Mrs. Sappleton’s niece could speak French fluently. 5That afternoon Mrs. Sappleton was waiting for her husband and sons to return from hunting. 6 Mr. Nuttel cheerfully greeted Mr.Sappleton and his sons. 7 Mr. Nuttel ran out of the house because he was afraid of the dog. 1. What natural resource do Icelanders use as an alternative to central heating? 2. What should you take with you when going to Iceland? 3. What are the national characteristics of the local people? 4. In what seasons can you see snow in Iceland? 5. What extreme excursions can the country offer? 6. What does a traditional Icelandic house look like? 7. Why are these animals widely used in tourist business? A.      In spite of its hard northern climate, Iceland is very attractive to tourists. Many people who have visited the country once want to go there again and again. The country turns skeptics into poets and optimists. It’s not only because of the views but also because of the local people. Icelanders are friendly and hospitable and welcome guests. It really compensates for the cold harsh climate! B.      An adventurous traveller would never mistake Iceland’s scenery for any other because of the boiling water fountains and the steam coming from the earth. Smoking volcanoes attract the bravest tourists. Iceland is the only place in the world where you can hike up a volcano and even go inside. There are guided walks to the glaciers, large masses of slowly moving ice, too. C.      Icelandic weather is unpredictable throughout the year. Bright sunshine can easily change to cold and miserable weather within a few hours. In the summer, rain is typical in Iceland. From September to May, when the temperature falls, it often snows, especially on the south and west coasts. D.      Till nowadays Icelanders cannot do without horses. And horses are very important not only for farming. From the Viking Age, horses have become a part of Iceland’s culture. They look like My Little Pony toys but they are exceptionally strong, so they can do heavy work and survive cold winters. The horses are good-natured, which is perfect for new riders. Guesthouses and travel companies across the country offer horse rides and tours. E.      If you decide to visit Iceland, you’ll never regret your decision. The only thing that can spoil your trip is the weather. That’s why it’s very important to get a reliable weather forecast whatever season it is. If you wear appropriate clothes and have some smart heating devices, neither rain nor snow can ruin your trip. F.      Hengill, a place near Reykjavik, is a famous landmark of the country. It is a field of more than 7 thousand hot springs. The water from the springs is used to warm the houses and to fill the open pools in the capital of Iceland. The water comes from below the earth where the temperature is about seven thousand degrees Jamie Oliver Jamie Oliver is a genius in the world of food and one of Britain's most famous cooks. He has encouraged people to spend more time in the kitchen and enjoy it. His programmes are shown in over 100 countries including the USA, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Japan and Iceland. They were translated into over 30 languages, Jamie Oliver's cookery books are bestsellers not only in the UK but across the world. Jamie Oliver was born in 1975 in England. From an early age he got interested in food. His parents had a pub where he often helped them in the kitchen. He actually began working there at the age of eight. Jamie cut vegetables like any other ordinary worker in the pub. Jamie Oliver left school at 16 without any official certificate. He went to Westminster College to study economics and after that travelled to France. Jamie knew that in France cooking was a kind of art. And he wanted to master that art. It was no doubt the best place to study if he wished to become a professional chef. After returning from France, Jamie worked in a number of British restaurants. At that time there was a programme on the telly about the café where Jamie worked. TV producers were impressed by the young chef. The next day Jamie received calls from five different TV companies wishing to work with him. He soon became the best-liked celebrity chef on television and his programme was a real revolution in cooking shows. Thanks to an informal and friendly manner Jamie Oliver won crowds of fans around the world. However, Jamie devotes his time not only to cooking. He's a family man, with a wife and four children. He also works on a number of projects. For example, Jamie Oliver created the ‘Fifteen Foundation’. Each year, fifteen young people are trained and taught to work in the restaurant business. Some of them are from unhappy families and are unemployed. Some of them were in prison or took drugs. In this way Jamie Oliver tries to help them start a new life. Another project by Jamie Oliver is connected with school dinners and lunches. He wants school children to eat healthy food instead of junk food. The British government supported the project. It spent extra 280 million pounds to improve school meals. Part of the money was spent on training cooks and buying modern cooking equipment for schools. It's really hard to name all the TV programmes, shows, projects that Jamie Oliver had and is still having. He's so creative and imaginative, that there's no end to new ideas and projects. Except television, Jamie Oliver is a writer. His every book immediately becomes a bestseller. It's interesting that he became the best-selling author in the country after J.K. Rowling, the ‘Harry Potter’ writer. 1 Jamie’s parents wanted their son to be a professional cook. 2 Jamie Oliver went to France to continue studying economics. 3 Jamie Oliver has become a well-known personality due to his TV show. 4 Jamie’s wife was against his project Fifteen Foundation. 5 Jamie’s project the ‘Fifteen Foundation’ gives people a chance to improve their lives. 6 The British government ignored Jamie’s school meals project. 7 Jamie Oliver is a successful writer. 1.         Why did a prehistoric reptile get a girl’s name? 2.         Where is the Isle of Wight? 3.         What is the origin of the island’s name? 4.         What animal is prohibited on the Isle of Wight? 5.         What is the emblem of the Isle of Wight? 6.         What do touriststake from the Isle of Wight as a memory? 7.         What is special about the language spoken on the island? A.      The Isle of Wight is considered to be the largest island of England. The island measures about 380 square km, of which about half is an area of outstanding natural beauty. About 140,000 people live on the island and several million people visit it each year. This paradise is located in the English Channel which separates the continent and Great Britain. B.      The accent of the Isle of Wight is similar to the traditional dialect of southern England. While speaking, the natives of the island drop some consonants and put an emphasis on longer vowels. The Isle of Wight has its own local and regional words. Some of their words (e.g. grockle – visitor, tourist and nipper – a younger male person) are used in the neighbouring areas of the mainland too. C.      There are many red squirrels which are the only squirrel native to the British Isles. However, there are few of them left on the mainland now. Red squirrels are being replaced by American grey squirrels. The grey squirrels carry the deadly parapox virus, which is fatal to the reds. The strait between the island and the mainland provides a barrier to grey squirrels. It is illegal to bring a grey squirrel onto the island, with a penalty of two-year's imprisonment. D.      The Isle of Wight is not large, but it has lots of sights to see. One of the most well-known places is Alum Bay which is famous for the sand on its beach. The sand is of different colours – from red to purple, from brown to white. Tourists usually buy a glass paperweight with stripes of coloured sand, and take it back home as a souvenir. E.      The Isle of Wight has recently been declared the Dinosaur capital of the UK! Bones of more than 25 different species were found on the small island, including the largest British dinosaur. In 2009, five-year-old Daisy Morris discovered the remains of an undiscovered species on the beach, which has been named after her – the Vectidraco (Dragon of the Wight) Daisymorrisae. F.      The correct spelling of the island’s name is Wight not White. Wight is an old English word to describe a creature or living being. The experts do not have a common opinion on why the island was called that. The only thing that can be said for sure is that the name has nothing to do with the colour. Honesty lesson  Josh Ferrin worked as an artist for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah. The newspaper has the longest history in the state and the biggest Sunday circulation. Josh had a lot of work and hoped that in several years he could save up for a house of his own. Josh adored his wife and two children. They spent holidays together travelling in their old car that broke down regularly. At weekends in winter, they watched their favourite movies in a rented flat that seemed smaller and smaller as the children were growing. Once Josh and his wife were watching a TV program about children who lived in an orphanage and needed parents. They were so deeply moved by the children’s sad life stories that they decided to adopt a child. The only thing that could stop them was the small flat. That was the moment Josh started looking for a new house. Finding a proper house was not an easy thing to do. They wanted it to be not very expensive, big enough and have some history. Finally, Josh brought his wife to look at an outdated two-storey house with a large attic. Though the house needed repair, there was something about it that made Josh and his wife like it. The real estate agent told them the story of the previous owner. He had six children but lived a lonely life in that house and died several years ago. His children decided to sell the old house and share the money. When they moved in, they went on exploring the house. The massive staircases, cosy bedrooms, a large kitchen and an airy living-room were all they could dream of. The only door that was closed led to the attic below the roof. The next day when his wife and children were away, Josh managed to unlock the door and decided to inspect the attic. The dark space was empty, with spiders’ webs hanging in the corners. Josh turned on the light and noticed a pile of boxes and tins in one of the corners. A small, broken bike lay nearby. Josh thought the room would be ideal for his art studio and started cleaning it up. He threw away several empty boxes when he suddenly found out that all the rest were stuffed with old books. Josh drew out several books from one of the boxes and found a thick pile of banknotes at the bottom. When the family returned, Josh called his wife and told her about the treasure he had found. He also showed her a short notice he had found in the same box. The message, ‘to my children’, was written on a piece of yellowish paper. The sum was enough to buy a new car and repair the house for their own growing family and the child the Ferrins wanted to adopt. The temptation to keep the money was great, but Josh and his wife understood it was not their money. The next week Josh found the previous owner’s family and handed them the money and the note. 1 Josh Ferrin started his career at the newspaper after his marriage. 2 The members of Josh’s family often spent free time together. 3 Josh’s children approved of their parents’ idea to adopt a child. 4 The previous owner of the house had moved to live with his children. 5 Josh wanted to arrange a place to work in the attic. 6 In the message, the previous owner asked to give the money to the local hospital. 7Josh Ferrin fulfilled the will of the previous owner of the house. 1.       What goods were made from the plant, the symbol of Scotland? 2.       What is the national sporting event of the country? 3        What endangered plants grow in the Scottish Highlands? 4.       What plant brings luck and success? 5.       What is the stereotype of Scotland like? 6.       Why is Scotland an attractive place for those who love sports? 7.       What is the modern profile of Scotland like? A.      Thanks to television and films, Scotland is often seen by the rest of the world as a magical country, a land of misty mountains and the home of a lake creature called Nessie. This is the image most people have in mind. The truth, however, is completely different from the way the world thinks of Scotland. You may be surprised to find out that most Scots live in the lowlands and don’t believe in Nessie. B.      Scotland is much more than green hills and picturesque valleys. It’s dynamic and cosmopolitan, with a colourful history of invention and innovation. It’s the home of big businesses and a centre of new medical and scientific development. Each year, it hosts the world's biggest contemporary arts festivals. C.      Scottish heather, a small bush with flowers, is the floral symbol of the country. The colour of the flowers usually varies from purple to lilac, but they can also be white. In the past, the Scots believed that they would never be captured by enemies and would win victories if they wore white heather. Today, when getting married, girls add white heather to bouquets to bring fortune to their family. D.      Heather has grown in Scotland as far back as its history goes. It is an essential thing for any household. Famous heather honey is rich in minerals, and was traditionally used in medicinal drinks. Traditionally dried heather was used to make perfumes, and the tough stems were used to make ropes. On many of the northern Scottish islands, heather was used in the construction of houses. E.      Scotland is an excellent destination for open-air activities all year round. Its lakes and coastline are ideal for boating and rowing and have some of the best sea-kayaking in the world. The rivers are perfect for fishing and the mountains are wonderful for hill climbing and skiing. Scotland is also good for walkers. You can enjoy easy family walks or more difficult mountain hikes. F.      The history of Scotland is rich in armed conflicts. The Scots have always valued physical power and the skills needed for battle and survival. That’s why the Highland Games were very popular. They date back to long before Scotland’s written history. The Games are still held today and include the athletic competitions in their original form as well as dancing contests. Traditional bagpipe music accompanies all the events. Sir Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren was a designer, astronomer, geometer, and one of the greatest English architects of his time. Christopher Wren was born into a rich family in 1632. He was a weak and sickly child and was taught at home by private tutors and his father.  Wren’s schooling is a mystery: there are no documents about whether he attended school or not. However, there is a written evidence that he entered Oxford University in 1650 to study science and mathematics.           On graduating from university, Wren was appointed Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, London. He was required to give weekly lectures in both Latin and English to all who wished to attend; admission was free. His lectures and the following discussions led to establishing the Royal Society, England’s first scientific organization. Later, Christopher Wren taught at Oxford University. His scientific work included astronomy, optics, mechanics, medicine and meteorology. He invented and improved lots of things. He experimented with submarine design, road paving, and design of telescopes. It was also around these times that his attention turned to architecture. In Wren's time, the profession of an architect did not exist. In the past, buildings had been constructed to the requirements of the patron and the suggestions of building professionals, such as master carpenters or master bricklayers. Since the early years of the 17th century, it was not unusual for the well-educated gentleman to take up architecture as a hobby. Wren designed 51 London churches, including St Paul’s Cathedral, and several buildings after the Great Fire in 1666. Each church was different, though all were classical in style. He insisted on the finest materials and only skillful workers were hired for the job. Actually, St Paul’s Cathedral is still Wren's masterpiece. The architectural style of St Paul’s Cathedral is a beautiful mix of the Medieval, Classical, and Baroque. The inside of St Paul’s Cathedral is gorgeous. The foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid in 1675 when Wren was 43 years old, and the last stone was put in place by his son, 35 years later. Nowadays, St Paul’s Cathedral is the largest working Protestant church in England. Services are held regularly.  Important events at the Cathedral have included the funerals of Lord Nelson and Sir Winston Churchill, Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria, peace services marking the end of the First and the Second World Wars and, most recently, the thanksgiving services for both the Golden Jubilee and 80th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. Wren died on 25th February 1723. His gravestone in St Paul’s Cathedral features a Latin inscription which translates as: 'If you seek his memorial, look about you.' 1 Christopher Wren was named after his father. 2 There is no proof that Christopher Wren studied at Oxford University. 3 Christopher Wren’s scientific interests were in different spheres. 4 The profession of an architect was very popular in the 17th century. 5 Christopher Wren was demanding when choosing materials and builders. 6 Christopher Wren’s son completed the construction of St Paul’s Cathedral. 7 St Paul’s Cathedral was Sir Christopher Wren’s favourite project.

1.       What is the favourite sports entertainment on Thanksgiving Day in the USA?

2.       What happens to the turkeys which are chosen by the President?

3.       Why was it decided to celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of November?

4.       How can people make the house ready for the autumn holiday?

5.       Why did the turkey become the main dish for the Thanksgiving dinner?

6.       What is the day after Thanksgiving known for?

7.       Why is Thanksgiving celebrated on different dates in different countries?

A.      The people of Canada celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday of October every year. It is celebrated to thank God for the past harvest and pray for the coming year. The United States, however, celebrates Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year. The reason behind the difference is geographical: autumn starts earlier in Canada than in the USA.

B.      Thanksgiving is the right time to decorate homes. You can add some autumn-colored pillows to the sofa, light a candle and arrange some yellow or orange flowers in a vase. Special message boards have become very popular recently. As guests arrive for Thanksgiving, let them write what they are thankful for on a paper leaf and pin it up on the board. Paper leaves can be cut from scrapbooks and painted in autumn colours.

C.      Lots of Americans cannot imagine Thanksgiving afternoon without watching TV. This tradition began in 1934. The reason was a great match between two football teams – the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. That game turned out to be really exciting. Since that time, matches have been held every year (except the years of World War II) on Thanksgiving Day and have become very popular.

D.      Once, President Truman chose a turkey on Thanksgiving Day and sent it back to the farm. That happened in 1947. Since that time it has become a tradition. Nowadays the President selects two turkeys and frees them in front of a large crowd. Then the turkeys are sent to a farm house to let them live in peace.

E.      Some people use Thanksgiving Day and the day after to visit their families or friends. Others use this day to go shopping. The Americans call the day after Thanksgiving ‘Black Friday’. It first got its name in 1960 in Philadelphia. Many people visited the city for shopping. It was overcrowded and the local people considered it a bad black day. Nowadays ‘Black Friday’ means the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.

F.      In 1863 Sara Hale, an editor and writer, wrote a letter to President Lincoln and advised him to proclaim a national day of Thanksgiving. She selected the last Thursday in November because, as she said, the harvests were finished, the elections were over and people were back from their summer vacations. She even suggested a list of dishes for the traditional holiday menu. President Lincoln liked her idea and declared a national holiday, Thanksgiving Day.

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was a celebrated English nurse and writer. According to a survey, British people consider her to be one of the most famous British persons along with outstanding scientists, writers and politicians.

She was born into a rich, upper-class family in 1820, in Italy. She got her name Florence after the city of her birth, as there was a tradition in her family to name the children in honour of the city they were born in. She got an all-round education and according to the family’s status Florence was expected to become a faithful wife and attentive mother.

However, in 1844 Florence decided to become a nurse, despite the intense anger and distress of her mother and sister. At that time nursing was seen as a job that needed neither education nor special medical skills.

In 1854 the Crimean War broke out and Florence Nightingale offered her services to the War Office and soon left for the Crimea with thirty-eight volunteer nurses. They began their work in the main British camp, in the hospital. Very soon Florence found out that hygiene was neglected, and fatal infections were common. There was no equipment to cook proper food for the patients. Florence decided to change the situation.

Nightingale managed to found a vast kitchen and a laundry. In addition to her nursing work, she tried to organize reading and recreation rooms for the wounded soldiers. She was on her feet for twenty hours a day and so were the other nurses. Florence was called ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ for her habit of making rounds round the hospital at night. She checked on her helpless patients.

Florence remained in the Crimea until 1856, then she returned to England.

In London Florence Nightingale visited Queen Victoria and persuaded the Queen of the need to create a military hospital system. Soon Florence Nightingale set up a training school for nurses, the first nursing school in the world.  It is now called The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery and is part of King's College in London.  The annual International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on Florence’s birthday, the 12th of May.

In the Crimea camp, Nightingale got ‘Crimean fever’ and never fully recovered. By the time she was 38 years old, she was seriously ill. She left her house very rarely and had to stay in bed most of the time. Nevertheless, Florence continued her work from her bed. She wrote many books, some of them became the base of the curriculum at the Nightingale School and other British nursing schools.

Florence Nightingale died in London in 1910, at the age of ninety. The government offered to bury Florence in Westminster Abbey, but her relatives did not agree. However, the memorial service took place in St. Paul's Cathedral.

Florence Nightingale received a lot of honorable awards. Several books were written about the life of ‘The Lady with the Lamp’ and a few films were shot about her. 

1 Florence Nightingale was named in honour of her birthplace.

2 Florence’s family approved of her wish to become a nurse.

3 Florence Nightingale cooked for the wounded soldiers herself.

4 Florence Nightingale got her nickname because she often visited the wounded at night.

5 Queen Victoria was impressed by Florence Nightingale’s work.

6 Florence Nightingale’s school for nurses was closed after her death.

7 Florence Nightingale was buried in Westminster Abbey.Начало формы

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1.       How did the valuable present from South Africa get to England?

2.       What animal is the symbol of South Africa?

3.       How many years can the African giant plant live?

4.       Why is the flag of South Africa so colourful?

5.       What measures do the authorities take to save endangered animals?

6.       How many names has the country got?

7.       Why was state power divided between three places?

A.     

The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa and is washed by the Atlantic and the Indian oceans. It is sometimes called the Rainbow Nation because there are so many different cultural traditions. The Rainbow Nation includes 38 million black South Africans, 5 million whites, 3.5 million people of mixed race and 1.5 million people of Asian origin. The colours of the rainbow can now be seen on the flag of the state.

B.     

Unlike most other countries around the world, South Africa has not one but three capital cities. More precisely, the government branches are divided among the major South African cities: Pretoria, Cape Town, and Bloemfontein. When creating the state, it was decided that if the government was in one place, that place could have more influence and political control.

C.     

The majority of the population can speak and understand English which is the language of business, politics and the media in South Africa. Most citizens know three or more languages. In total, there are eleven official languages in South Africa. So there are eleven official names for the country, one for each different language.

D.     

Today South Africa maintains its position as a major diamond producer. The largest diamond, Cullinan, was found in 1905. The Government decided to present the diamond to King Edward VII for his birthday. However, it was a problem to find a safe way to deliver such an expensive diamond to London. It was decided to place a fake diamond on a steamboat to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. The actual diamond was sent to England in a plain box via parcel post, though registered.

E.     

It is a sad truth but the population of African rhinos is getting smaller. Though using rhino horns for medicine has been illegal since 1993, this hasn’t stopped people killing this rare animal simply for the horn. To prevent rhino extinction, their horns are covered with a special toxin that does not harm the animal. But it is designed in such a way that any product (powder, tea or cream) that is made from the poisoned horn will taste bitter or will cause burns. It can also be seen in airport scanners.

F.     

Baobabs, the largest trees in the world, grow in South Africa. The baobab is called ‘The Tree of Life’. It provides food, water and shelter to people, animals and birds. All the parts of the baobab are used for different purposes. For example, its fruit, called ‘monkey bread’, is full of vitamin C. Baobabs live up to five thousand years and reach a trunk diameter of twenty-five meters!

Hershey's chocolate

People from all over the world like the taste of chocolate. It’s the most popular dessert and snack. You may like dark or light chocolate, you may prefer it plain or with nuts, but whatever your tastes are, you will certainly enjoy the chocolate produced by the Hershey Company.

Hershey chocolate became famous all over the world thanks to a quiet but very hard-working and generous person – Milton Hershey, the founder of the company.

Milton Hershey grew up in Pennsylvania, USA. His mother wanted him to learn practical skills. She believed practice is more important than college education. So when Milton finished the fourth grade, she arranged for him to become a printer’s assistant. But Milton didn’t like the job and left it soon after. In a while he became an assistant in a candy factory. He helped to make candy and became very successful at it.

After a few years of training, Milton understood that he wanted to start his own business.

He bought the equipment and started the Lancaster Caramel Company. Success soon followed. Within a few years, Milton Hershey had a growing business and was selling his caramels all over the country. At that time he became focused on milk chocolate, which in those days was an expensive dessert imported from Switzerland. Milton Hershey was determined to find a new formula for the product that could allow him to manufacture milk chocolate in large amounts and sell it countrywide. He succeeded in making a new recipe.

So, in 1900 Milton Hershey sold his caramel company and started up a chocolate factory. In fact it was more than a factory. Milton Hershey built a whole town around the factory – with houses, schools, churches, and stores. He wanted the people who worked in his factory to live nearby and feel comfortable. The factory was focused on producing the Nickel Bar, a relatively cheap chocolate bar that everyone could afford. Later, Hershey Kisses were added. These delicious, bite-sized pieces of chocolate were named after Milton Hershey himself.

As success and profits rose, Milton Hershey invested more money in the infrastructure of his town and added a sports arena, a stadium, and a school for orphaned children.

Milton Hershey died in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1945, one year after his retirement as chairman of the board. He was 88 years old. By the end of his life Hershey had donated most of his money to his town and the school for orphans.

His chocolate factory remains the largest in the world. The town of Hershey is still home to about 12,000 people and draws more than 30 million visitors each year. They come to see the famous Hershey Park, which boasts a roller coaster, Ferris wheel and other rides. The factory tours draw more visitors annually than the White House. Guests can take a tour through a mock chocolate factory that includes a ride through a simulated roasting oven, and eating samples of Hershey chocolate.

1 The Hershey company was named after the man who had started it.

2 Milton Hershey tried some other jobs before he started making chocolate.

3 Milton Hershey’s mother ran a small business of her own.

4 Milton Hershey produced his chocolate in strict accordance with the Swiss recipe.

5 The Nickel Bar was expensive chocolate for elite customers.

6 Milton Hershey gave lots of money to charity.

7 It was Milton Hershey’s idea to create Hershey Park.

1.      What old Irish traditions are still followed?

2.      What vegetables are exported from Ireland to other countries?

3.      What vegetable is very popular in Irish cuisine?

4.      Why were Irish people afraid of wearing green in old times?

5.      What made the Irish town popular?

6.      What is wrong with the stereotype of an Irish person?

7.      How can you keep the talisman effective?

A.    

When you think of the Irish, you often picture a red-haired person dressed all in green. However, it's just a popular myth. It's customary in Ireland to wear green clothes only on St. Patrick's Day. Lots of people are tricked by this cliche. In fact, originally, the colour associated with Saint Patrick was not green but blue.

B.    

In Ireland, the colour green was long considered to bring bad fortune. The reason is that, in Irish folklore, green is the favourite color of the Good People (the proper name for fairies). Myths run that they are likely to steal people, especially children, who wear too much of the colour. In the past, a girl would never wear anything green on her wedding day.

C.    

Christmas is a very important celebration in Ireland. People try to keep the old Irish customs. After dinner on Christmas Eve, it is still common for families to leave milk and bread on the table as a sign of friendliness and kindness. Another custom is to leave the door unlocked. A lit candle is left in a window during the night. It represents help for any traveller who is passing by.

D.    

Irish people enjoy good and substantial food. The basis for many traditional Irish dishes is potatoes which are eaten boiled, mashed, fried and baked. Potatoes are mixed with cabbage or green onions to make traditional Irish dishes. They are also made into potato cakes and used in soups or stews. It’s common to find potatoes cooked in two different ways on the same dinner plate.

E.     

In Ireland it is believed that shamrock brings good fortune to everyone. It helps in different situations and saves its owner from bad luck. There are certain conditions to be met so that its power remains strong: the owner of the shamrock must keep it away from the public eye and never give it to anyone else.

F.     

Ireland is known as the native land of limericks – short humorous poems that have five lines. They make people laugh and are easy to remember! Lots of poets and writers were fond of limericks. The word limerick probably comes from the Irish town of Limerick. The short poem has made the town known all over the world.

Mark Twain

Mark Twain wrote ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ in 1884. Since then, the book has been published in at least sixty languages, and some people say it is the best book ever created by an American writer. American students have ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ on their school reading list and parents, teachers and literary experts still debate the problems touched in the book.

The writer’s real name was Samuel Clemens. Samuel was born in 1835. He grew up in the state of Missouri on the Mississippi River. After his father died, young Samuel went to work as an assistant to a publisher. Ten years later, he became a pilot on a steamboat that sailed on the Mississippi. He heard the riverboat workers call out the words "mark twain!" That was a measure for the depth of water. Later he used this word combination as a pen-name.

In 1861 Clemens travelled west and became a reporter for newspapers in Nevada and California. He wrote news stories, editorials and sketches under his pen-name Mark Twain. He became one of the best known storytellers in the West. He developed his own narrative style – friendly, funny, and often satirical, which won him a wide audience. The first success came with the story ‘The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County’.

Mark Twain travelled a lot during his lifetime not only round the USA but also to Europe and the Holy Land. He naturally began writing books about his travels. ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ was published in 1876, and soon after he began writing a sequel, ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’.

It took Mark Twain longer to write ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ than any of his other books. He started writing in 1876, but put the story away after about two years of work. He returned to it in 1883, and the following year it was published.

From the beginning, the book was strongly debated. Some critics praised its realism and honesty, but the others strongly disliked it. They protested against the personality of Huck – a rough, dirty and disobedient boy. They could not agree that such a person should be the main character of a book. What's more, critics disliked the way Mark Twain used the language of a common, uneducated person to tell the story; no writer had ever done that before.

Today there is no longer any debate about the importance of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ in American literature. In 1935 Ernest Hemingway wrote: "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called 'Huckleberry Finn.' There was nothing before. And there has been nothing as good since."

No wonder then that the novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ was a great inspiration for film producers – more than 20 screen versions of the book have been shot not only in America, but also in Europe, Russia and Japan. There are feature films, musicals, cartoons and even Japanese anime.

 1 ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ has been translated into many languages.

2The writer took his pen-name when working as an assistant to a publisher.

3 ‘The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County’ is still on the reading list for American school children.

4 It took Mark Twain two years to write ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’.

5 Literary critics expressed different opinions of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’.

6 Ernest Hemingway strongly criticised ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’.

7 The first film on the novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ was shot in Europe.

1.       Why do street artists create their works?

2.       Why are serious companies getting interested in street art?

3.       Where are the international street art exhibitions held?

4.       What does the term street art include?

5.       Which of the famous street artists managed to keep his/her real name a secret?

6.       What is the most innovative technique in street art?

7.       Why don’t street artists sign their works with their real names?

A.     

Street art can be described as art that is developed in public spaces and, above all, in the street. Typically, street art is used to separate public-space artwork from illegal graffiti and vandalism. It can mean a lot of different things including graffiti, poster art, wall paintings and just about any artwork that is displayed in public places.

B.     

The start of street art is closely connected to graffiti, which appeared in New York in the 1970s. For the following ten years, street art grew more and more popular and was soon joined by new forms including street installations, street sculptures and 3D pavement illusions. Kurt Wenner was the person who developed 3D pavement illusion as an absolutely new form of street art and inspired a future generation of street artists.

C.     

Street artists are often associated with opposition. Their artwork is considered a crime and vandalism and the artists may be arrested for damaging property, so the artists prefer to use nicknames and create their drawings mostly at night. They are not looking for fame, especially in countries where graffiti is still illegal.

D.     

Banksy is probably the most well-known English street artist who has already become a legendary figure. His works are exhibited in galleries across the world. An American magazine even named him among the top most influential people in the world. However, it’s still true that no one knows who the person really is. He is the only one whose photo has never been made or published.

E.     

The motivations and ideas that inspire street artists are as different as the artists themselves. Some street artists, by creating certain works, want to draw attention to social and political problems. For other artists, street art is just a form of self-expression. And there are those who enjoy the danger and risks which are connected with working illegally in some city areas.

F.     

Traditional graffiti has recently been used as a successful method for advertising. Lots of companies agree that traditional advertising on city streets is too boring and common, so many people simply ignore it. However, graffiti adverts catch your attention, creating a memorable image. Big companies find this quite useful and try to include more elements of graffiti in their advertising campaigns.

Jeans

         The history of jeans goes as far back as the 16th century when sailors in Genoa (Italy) wore a material that eventually became the material used in jeans. The word ‘jean’ derives from the name of the Italian port city Genoa, as it was a custom to name a material after its place of origin. By the late 16th century, jean material was already produced in Lancashire, England.

         It was the California Gold Rush of 1849 that started the evolution of American trousers that would one day become blue jeans. The gold miners wanted clothes that were strong and did not tear easily. The person who suggested an appropriate type of clothing was a German businessman Levi Strauss, who had moved to America. Levi Strauss sold many different things, but his main product was a tough canvas material used for tents and wagon covers. Understanding the urgent need of the gold miners Levi Strauss decided to make trousers out of the tough canvas he was selling. The miners liked the new ‘working’ trousers, though they were uncomfortable to wear as the material was too rough.

To improve the trousers for miners, Levi Strauss began looking for a different material and soon he found a suitable one in France. The material was called ‘serge de Nimes’. Americans just called it ‘de Nimes’, and this name soon became its short form ‘denim’. Denim was a bit lighter and softer than the material Levi Strauss used for his working trousers. It was very strong and did not wear out quickly, even after many washes. The trousers made of denim became quite popular among the miners.

The only problem was that original denim was almost white and the trousers got dirty as soon as the miners started working! For that reason Levi Strauss decided to use coloured denim, and he chose dark blue. This was a radical new idea and ‘Blue jeans’ had arrived!

Levi's jeans were so popular, that his company got bigger and bigger. Other firms were making blue jeans too. Miners liked them, but so did cowboys and other working men.

Levi’s jeans were work trousers. Male workers wore them all the time but a gentleman would not even think of wearing jeans. Things changed when western movies became popular. All the cowboys wore jeans and people thought they looked heroic, attractive and cool. Also jeans were greatly popularized in Europe by American off-duty soldiers who wore them during World War II. They made jeans seem like casual American trousers, a symbol of the American lifestyle.

In the 2000s, the sale of classic blue jeans stopped growing. Young people were not particularly interested in traditional jeans styles, mainly because of their parents, who adored jeans. Since no teenager would wear the clothes their parents were wearing, the latest generation of youth turned to other fabrics and styles. They still wear denim, but it had to be in new cuts, shapes and styles.

1 Jeans cloth was named after a city.

2 Levi Strauss had a few friends among gold miners.

3 Levi Strauss began to make trousers for miners from the material which was used for tents.

4 Levi Strauss found denim in a local American shop.

5 The original colour of denim was blue.

6 After World War II jeans became popular with Europeans.

7 Nowadays more jeans are produced in Europe than in the USA.

1.       What was coffee’s long way to Europe like?

2.       How did drinking coffee become a social life activity?

3.       How was coffee discovered?

4.       Why was coffee prohibited in some countries?

5.       What ingredients are used in coffee recipes?

6.       Why do some people refuse to drink coffee?

7.       What helped coffee to conquer the USA?

A.     

Coffee was first found in Eastern Africa in the area we know today as Ethiopia. A popular legend says that one day, a man called Kaldi was watching his goats eating grass and leaves. He noticed that after eating berries from a certain bush, the goats became very active. Curious, Kaldi tried the berries himself. He found that these berries gave him additional energy. The story quickly spread throughout the region.

B.     

The first coffee berries were transported from Ethiopia to Arabian countries and then they were cultivated in Yemen. From there, coffee travelled to Turkey where coffee beans were roasted for the first time over open fires. The roasted beans were crushed and then boiled in water, creating the drink we enjoy today. Finally, in the seventeenth century, coffee arrived in France, Britain and Italy.

C.     

The first coffeehouses opened in Mecca and quickly became popular centres of social and political activity. The government believed that coffee stimulated radical thinking, and even thought it might unite the opposition. As a result, soon coffee was forbidden in Mecca. The same thing happened in Turkey a century later, when coffee drinkers were severely punished.

D.     

They say, in 1776, the thirteen American colonies adopted coffee as their national drink instead of tea. When the British tried to raise the tax on tea, Americans refused to buy it and switched to coffee. In fact, by drinking coffee, Americans demonstrated their political views and their dislike for the British – the famous tea-lovers.

E.     

The Italians drink their espresso with sugar, the Germans and Swiss add an equal part of hot chocolate, the Mexicans prefer it with cinnamon, and the Belgians – with chocolate. Coffee drinkers in the Middle East usually add cardamom and spices. The Egyptians, on the other hand, are extremely fond of pure, strong coffee. They add neither milk nor cream.

F.     

When the first European coffeehouses opened, they quickly grew into places where people played chess, exchanged gossip, sang and danced. Coffeehouses were very popular. Anyone could go and enjoy a cup of the drink because the price of a cup of coffee was reasonable. European coffeehouses became meeting points for intellectuals, writers and businessmen.

The Moneyless Man

         For most of us it seems that money makes the world go round. However, not for Mark Boyle who has turned his life into a radical experiment.

Mark Boyle was born in 1979 in Ireland and moved to Great Britain after getting a degree in Business. He set up his own business in Bristol. For six years Mark Boyle managed two organic food companies which made him a good profit.

However, in 2008, he decided to give up earning money. He vowed to live without cash, credit cards, or any other form of finance.

Mark Boyle began to realise that many of the world’s problems are just symptoms of a deeper problem. He thought that money gave people the illusion of independence.

Mark sold his house and started preparing himself for his new life. He posted an advert on a website asking for a tent, a caravan (a vehicle for living or travelling) or any other type of a house. Soon an old lady gave him a caravan for free. At least he then had a roof over his head!

After that, with his pockets empty, Mark was ready to go. He didn't even carry keys as he decided to trust the world a bit more and not lock his caravan. On November 28th (International Buy Nothing Day 2008), he became the Moneyless Man for one whole year.

Everything was different from then on. Mark lived in his caravan on an organic farm where he worked as a volunteer three days a week. In return he got a piece of land to live on and grow his own vegetables. His food was cooked on a stove, and he washed in a shower made from a plastic bag hanging from a tree, and warmed by the sun.

Even breakfast was different. With no morning coffee to brew, Mark had to find an alternative drink to start the day with. So he drank herbal teas, sometimes with some fresh lemon verbena that he could find near the caravan. "It's all very good for you: iron, calcium, anti-oxidants," Mark said.

Food was the first thing to consider. Mark discovered that there were four ways to find it: looking for wild food, growing his own food, bartering (exchanging his grown food for something else), and using loads of waste food from shops.

Public interest in his project was divided. While a huge number of people supported him, there was criticism of him, particularly on Internet forums.

"People are either very positive about what I'm doing or very negative; I think it's about 70 per cent/30 per cent. It's funny, if you don't have a massive plasma TV these days, people think you are an extremist," Mark said.

People tend to ask Mark what he learnt from a year of a moneyless life. "What have I learned? That friendship, not money, is real security," he answers.

Mark's remarkable journey is described in his new book "The Moneyless Man", which shows in a detailed way the challenges he faced on the road to his new world.

1 Before giving up money, Mark Boyle ran a successful business.

2 Mark bought an expensive caravan for his new life.

3 Mark’s family approved of his moneyless project.

4 The only thing Mark couldn’t give up was coffee.

5 Mark got food from different sources.

6 People’s opinions towards Mark’s project were different.

7 Some of Mark’s fans want to repeat his experiment.

1.       Why were ravens considered to be scary and dangerous birds?

2.       Why is keeping a raven as a pet really difficult?

3.       How do ravens entertain themselves?

4.       What is a raven’s essential diet?

5.       How can you distinguish a raven from a crow?

6.       Why are ravens important for Great Britain?

7.       What tricks do ravens play to get and save their food?

A.     

For intelligence, ravens rate up with chimpanzees and dolphins. These birds have the largest brain of any bird species. Ravens can push rocks on people to keep them from climbing to their nests and play dead to scare other ravens away from a delicious meal. If a raven knows another raven is watching, it hides the tasty bits. It pretends to put the food in one place but hides it in another.

B.     

It’s amazing to watch ravens sliding on snow-covered roofs. For fun, they also roll down snowy hills. Ravens often play keep-away with other animals like wolves, foxes and dogs. They even make toys—a rare animal behaviour—from sticks, pine cones, golf balls, or rocks to play with each other or by themselves. When they feel bored, they mock other creatures like crows, cats and dogs and find it very amusing.

C.     

According to surveys, the ravens are one of the main reasons why tourists come to see the Tower of London. Nobody knows when the ravens first appeared there but there is a belief that at least six ravens must always remain on the territory of the Tower. Otherwise, the British Monarchy may fall. To prevent the birds from flying away their wings are clipped every three weeks.

D.     

In the past, in some cultures, people were truly afraid of these dark birds. In Germany, ravens were considered to be the incarnation of criminals’ souls. In Sweden, ravens were thought to be the souls of murdered people. And in Denmark, people believed that it was dangerous to look at ravens because you could turn into a raven yourself.

E.     

Sometimes people find injured ravens and take them home, but it’s really challenging. These birds require a lot of care, a lot of freedom and a lot of time. Ravens are wild creatures, and they cannot be treated like cats and dogs are. If the bird is strong and healthy, it is unfair and cruel to keep it in captivity. In some countries it’s even illegal. So if you really love and admire these birds, enjoy them from a distance.

F.     

These birds are often confused with each other because they are both black birds. Even people who are well aware of the differences between them can get confused. Ravens are larger than crows, with thicker beaks and longer tails. Ravens have a deeper voice than crows.

Eton

Within a ten minute walk of Windsor Castle, across a bridge over the River Thames, there’s an old Gothic building. It is the legendary Eton College. It is one of England’s largest independent schools and one of the highest in prestige. Members of the British royal family are traditionally educated here. It was one of the best schools when first founded and remains so now; it is still commonly known as one of the greatest schools among all the schools in the world.

Following the old tradition, Eton is a full boarding school, which means all students live and study at the school with their fellow students throughout the school year. Eton is also one of the four remaining boys’ schools, so there’s no opportunity for a girl to study there. Eton students traditionally come from England’s wealthiest and most prestigious families, many of them aristocratic. Boys enter Eton at about 13 and continue to study there until they are ready to enter university.

The school was founded by Henry VI in the fifteenth century to provide free education for poor pupils who would then go on to get a higher education at King’s College in Cambridge. That connection no longer exists today.

All students have a uniform of a black tailcoat and a waistcoat, a white collar and dark trousers. All students wear a white tie. This uniform is not for special occasions, it is worn at all times for all classes. If you visit Eton during term time, you will see students walking along the streets with books under their arms dressed in their uniforms.

At Eton, there are dozens of organisations known as ‘societies’, in many of which students come together to discuss a particular topic. The societies are traditionally governed by the boys themselves. Societies range from astronomy to Scottish dancing and stamp-collecting. Some of them are dedicated to music, some to arts, some to languages, and so on. Meetings are usually held after supper and often include a guest speaker. Among past guest speakers were composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, writer J. K. Rowling, designer Vivienne Westwood, and actor Ralph Fiennes.

One of the oldest and most influential Eton societies is called the Pop. Its members are like school head-boys or prefects who are given limited authority over other students. They are called Poppers and take an active part in many official events of the school year, including parents’ evenings. While all students wear black waistcoats, members of the Pop are allowed to wear any waistcoat they please. Prince William, when he was a Popper, wore a waistcoat designed like the British national flag. The style immediately became popular.

Irrespective of this, the official colour of the college is the so-called ‘Eton blue’. It’s a light blue-green colour which has been used since the early 19th century. The main purpose was to identify Eton sportsmen in rowing races and on the cricket field.

1 Eton is the oldest boarding school in Great Britain.

2 In our time, girls are allowed to enter Eton College.

3 Eton College was established to educate the children from the wealthiest British families.

4 The Eton uniform is sold only in one shop on the territory of the college.

5 Many famous people have taken part in the work of the student societies.

6 It is easy to identify Poppers in a crowd of students due to their clothes.

7 The official colour of Eton College is white.

1.       How many official languages are there in the Republic of Ireland?

2.       Which colour dominates on the island?

3.       What do the colours of the Irish flag mean?

4.       What Irish name is now used as a noun in several European languages?

5.       After what Irish person did a geographical place get its name?

6.       What are the two things associated with the country?

7.       Why is the name of an Irishman well-known in the United States?

A.     

One of the informal names of Ireland is ‘the Emerald Isle’. This is because of its lush greenery and rolling hills. The island country receives a lot of rain each year, which keeps the grass green and the plants blooming. Experts argue that the flora of Ireland demonstrates more than forty shades of green.

B.     

The most famous symbol of Ireland is undoubtedly the shamrock clover. However, the official emblem of the country is the Celtic harp. Ireland is the only country in the world to have a musical instrument as its national symbol. The harp has become Ireland’s national symbol not because it was created there, but due to the collection of the oldest harps in the world which can now be seen in the museum at Trinity College in Dublin.

C      

There is a tricolour of green, white and orange vertical stripes on the national flag of the Republic of Ireland. The flag was designed to reflect the country’s political situation. Created in 1848, the orange stripe represents Irish Protestants. Green is for Irish Catholics and white is for the hope that peace might eventually be reached between them.

D.     

Most people of the Republic of Ireland speak English. Itis the second official language of the country because, according to the Constitution, Irish (Gaelic) is the national language of the Republic of Ireland. Irish was the primary language that was used on the island. Though children are still taught Irish at school, the language is losing its importance.

E.     

The White House, the official residence of the US President, was designed by an Irishman. James Hoban was born in Ireland and studied architecture in his homeland. In 1792, James Hoban won a competition for the construction of the President's house in America. He spent nine years supervising the building process. He also designed a few other important buildings in the American capital. No wonder that the name of James Hoban is famous across the ocean.

F.     

The widely used word boycott originated in Ireland. In 1880, a campaign of isolation against Charles Boycott, a land agent, was started. He threw out the farmers from his land when they complained that the rents were too high. After that, the local shops refused to serve him, his servants left and the boy who delivered his mail disappeared too. The surname of the land agent became a word which means ‘silently ignoring somebody or something’. The word was adopted in English, French, Dutch, German, Russian etc.

The will

One day young William was called to a lawyer’s office. The lawyer announced that William’s uncle had left him a thousand dollars. He also added that William was required to give the lawyer a report of how he used the money as soon as he spent it. That was his uncle’s last wish.

William promised to follow his uncle’s wish and went straight to his club. He looked for Bryson, a calm wise man of about forty, who was sitting in a corner reading a book. When William told him about the contents of the will, Bryson did not seem at all surprised. He only remarked that the uncle was worth about half a million.

William told Bryson that his uncle had left a lot of money to charity while his servants had received only ten dollars each. There was one more person mentioned in the will, Miss Hayden, a distant relative who lived in the uncle’s house. She was a quiet, musical girl and the dearest woman in the world to William. William had been in love with her for two years but he had never told her about his feelings.

William had no idea how to spend a thousand dollars and he hated making the report. He had a feeling that his uncle was making fun of him.

In the street William saw a blind man selling pencils. William went up to him and asked him what he would do with the money. The blind man shrugged his shoulders and said that he had never seen such a huge amount of money and therefore had never had the problem of spending such a sum. William bought all his pencils and gave him ten dollars above the price.

William was walking down the empty street when he had an idea.

He got into a cab and went to his uncle’s house where Miss Hayden lived. He found her, sad and beautiful, writing letters in the library. William knew that like the servants she had received nothing from his uncle but ten dollars. So he said that there was an addition to his uncle’s will that allowed her to have a thousand dollars and he gave her the money there and then. Miss Hayden turned white, took the banknotes and put them in the drawer of the writing desk. Then she quietly thanked William and gave him a shy smile.

In excitement William went back to the lawyer’s office, ready to hand over the report. Suddenly the lawyer took out another document which had been given to him by William’s uncle and started reading. It said that in the case that William spent the money wisely, he was to receive another fifty thousand dollars. On the contrary, if he had spent it in a foolish way, the fifty thousand would go to Miss Hayden.

Smiling brightly, William destroyed the report and said he had lost a thousand dollars on the races. William realised that he was going to lose much more than that, but he felt happy about it.

1 Bryson was a friend of William’s uncle.

2 William’s uncle left all his money to his servants.

3 Miss Hayden arrived at the uncle’s house two years ago.

4 William asked the blind man for advice.

5 William told Miss Hayden a lie about his uncle’s will.

6 Miss Hayden refused to take a thousand dollars offered by William.

7 William made Miss Hayden a rich woman.

1.       What nature-friendly ideas started a new branch in the tourism business?

2.       What means of transport is the most popular with tourists?

3.       Why can tourism be dangerous to nature?

4.      What are the reasons that make people go on a trip?

5.       What kind of tourism is getting popular with elderly people?

6.       Why does travelling make people smarter?

7.       What are the ways to save money while travelling?

A.     

Tourism has become a popular activity. Indeed, nowadays people travel more, and further, than they used to. The main reasons for tourism are: recreation, leisure and business. When travelling for recreation, people want to escape their stressful daily routine and to relax. Beach holidays are an example of such tourism. Business trips involve going to a distant place in order to settle business issues.

B.     

Whether on a business trip or on a honeymoon, people want to explore the place they are in. They go on excursions, try new activities like diving or mountain climbing and learn about the historical background of the place and its cultural peculiarities. Sometimes they find out amazing facts about people and places and about themselves too! In fact, when people travel, they broaden their horizons.

C.     

A new branch of tourism is ecotourism. It involves visiting relatively untouched places in remote areas. Ecotourism is often misinterpreted as any form of tourism involving wildlife - but it’s completely different from jungle tourism or safari. Eco-tourists are against disturbing the environment; even taking photos is not recommended. Take only memories and leave only footprints is a very popular slogan for them.

D.     

By educational tourism, most people mean different versions of Learn and Travel Programmes for students. But it’s not only for the young and brave. Lots of training and educational programmes for adults are offered in different corners of the world. Retired people participate in these programmes too. They gladly enroll on overseas courses ranging from gardening and design to computer skills and programming.

E.     

If possible, consider means of transport other than the plane. Rapidly increasing numbers of flights have put the environment in danger. Planes pollute the air, which results in global warming. In fact, tourism is not harmless fun as many may think: new airports and tourist infrastructure, pollution and crowds of noisy tourists make wild animals migrate, which may decrease their population or even make them extinct.

F.     

 With all its benefits, travelling is still a very expensive activity and may not fit every budget. To reduce the costs, avoid travelling in high season when flight tickets and hotels are overpriced. Remember that, along with expensive destinations, there are less prestigious but even more interesting places. When planning a trip, find out about low-cost airlines, discounts and special offers.

The Isle of Man

In the Irish Sea about 20 miles away from the UK you will find a beautiful island. This is the Isle of Man. The people of the island are called Manx and they speak the Manx language. The island occupies a mid-point in the Irish Sea and the British Isles – right between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

The scenery of the Isle is varied. There are ranges of hills with green valleys between them, there are sandy beaches in the north which contrast with the rocky cliffs along the coasts. The island's only mountain is slightly over 600 metres high. An old legend says that from its top on clear days you can see six kingdoms: the island itself, Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales and Heaven.

The Isle of Man has the oldest parliament in the world. It is called Tynwald and it has met regularly since 979. Tynwald usually meets in the capital of the country. However, for one day every summer the Manx parliament gathers in a small village to celebrate Tynwald Day. It is the only day of the year when parliament is held in the open air. On this day government officials read a summary of all the laws that have been passed during the year in both the English and the Manx languages. There is entertainment before and after the ceremony and it is a real community event. In addition to that, an open air market is organised and different concerts are held in the evening. At the conclusion, the Manx national anthem is played and there is a firework display.

Another thing that attracts tourists to the Isle of Man is its rich and unique culture. Any visitor to the island will be particularly fascinated by the legends, folklore and the ancient traditions that are still kept alive today. Most tourists are happy to participate in the folk programmes.

In Manx mythology, the island’s name comes from the name of a Celtic sea god. He ruled the kingdom and protected the land from invaders by covering the island with mist and thick fog.

The island is also reputedly home to fairies who are very special. The Manx fairies are described as small and human-like. They wear red caps and green jackets and are naughty and wicked. There's even a bridge called Fairy Bridge. Those who cross it are advised to say ‘hello fairies’ in order to get good fortune. If the person doesn’t greet the fairies, the fairies will become angry with him and may play a nasty trick on him.

If you love reading about King Arthur and his knights, then a must-see place is Peel Castle. It was constructed in the 11th century by the Vikings and has a fascinating history. It is believed that Peel Castle was the location of Avalon – the legendary island where King Arthur’s sword was made and where King Arthur was taken after being wounded.

1 The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea.

2 The island’s landscape looks all the same everywhere.

3 On Tynwald Day the Manx parliament has a day off.

4 The first Manx King ruled for a hundred years.

5 According to Manx beliefs, ignoring the fairies can cause trouble.

6 Peel Castle was built by the Vikings.

7 There are a few statues of King Arthur on the Isle of Man.

1.       What should the main New Year tree of the country look like?

2.       What is one of the legends of the Christmas tree?

3.       What are the advantages of artificial Christmas trees?

4.       What rules did people follow in the past when decorating the Christmas tree?

5.       Who changed the date of New Year’s Day in his country?

6.       How did the technological progress change Christmas decorations?

7.       How did the tradition of decorating the tree with coloured glass balls start?

A.     

Why do people decorate Christmas trees at home? There are several stories about the start of the tradition. One of them is about Martin Luther, the founder of the protestant faith. While he was walking through a forest on a Christmas Eve, he looked up and was impressed by the beauty of the stars that were shining through the tree branches. He cut down a small tree and took it home. There, he decorated the tree with candles as a present for his family.

B.

The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree comes from Germany. Until the 17th century, people decorated their Christmas tree in a certain order. Firstly, a star was fixed on the top. Then people hung apples on lower branches of the tree. Finally, they placed biscuits, gingerbread and sweets underneath. The Christmas tree in the fairy tale Nutcracker was decorated in exactly this way.

C.     

The Christmas tree tradition came to Russia with Peter the Great in the 18th century. He enjoyed the celebration tradition in Germany and issued a law according to which all families had to decorate their houses with pine tree branches. It also announced that people should have fun on that day. Peter the Great also decided to move New Year’s celebration from 1st September to 1st January.

D.     

The most popular Christmas decoration was invented by a German glass-blower. He made a ball and decorated it with angel figures and snowflakes. The man gave it as a gift to his daughter. The girl decided to put the ball on the Christmas tree. It was so beautiful that the glass-blower made many more decorated balls and sold them. Now people all over the world choose to decorate their Christmas trees in this way.

E.     

In the 18th century, people started decorating Christmas trees with candles. Later, with the discovery of electricity, electric lights were put on Christmas trees. It was Edward Johnson, an assistant of Thomas Edison, who first used electric lights for Christmas tree decoration. People liked his idea. However, it took several years before the electric lights became available to the general public.

F.     

Nowadays, Christmas trees are found everywhere – in houses, on the streets and squares. Most of them are artificial trees. However, in the centre of Moscow, in the Kremlin, you can always see a natural Christmas tree. The most important tree of the country is carefully chosen in the forest – it should be tall and beautiful. Professional designers decorate it to create an unforgettable fairytale tree for thousands of children and their parents.

The Сrown Jewels

Every year, millions of visitors come to the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels.  The Crown Jewels have been kept in the Tower since 1303 after they were stolen from Westminster Abbey. Luckily, that time most of the Crown Jewels were found shortly afterwards and put in the Tower.

Although there have been a few attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower, none of them have succeeded. But the name of one of the thieves has remained in the British history. He was Thomas Blood.

On the 9th May, 1660, Thomas Blood, dressed as a priest, came to the Tower. He came with three well-dressed young men.

Thomas Blood had already been to the Tower a few days earlier. He was with a woman whom he introduced as his ‘wife’. When they were walking round the Tower, the ‘wife’ pretended to feel unwell and fainted. Talbert Edwards, who was Master of the Jewel House and lived in the Jewel House with his family, took the woman upstairs to his family’s rooms. He also asked his wife to help the fainted lady. In an hour or so the lady felt better and left the Tower with her ‘husband’.

On the second visit, Thomas Blood, again dressed as a priest, brought a present for Edwards' wife for her help and attention to his ‘wife’. He gained the confidence of the Master of the Jewel House, Talbot Edwards, and asked him to show the Crown Jewels to his friends. Talbot Edwards agreed and took them to the room where the Crown Jewels were kept. Suddenly Blood took out a hammer from under his priest’s dress and struck the Master on the head. Talbert Edwards fell down and fainted. Thomas Blood took the king's crown and made it flat with the hammer in order to put the crown into a large pocket of his priest dress. The other three men took other royal jewels and hid them in their pockets.

By chance, Talbert Edwards’ son, Wythe, arrived at the Tower earlier than expected. He found his father lying unconscious and bleeding. Wythe raised the alarm. Though Thomas Blood and his gang had left the jewel room, they were caught when they were getting out of the Tower. The broken crown and the jewels were found with them.

A report was immediately sent to the king, and Charles II sent for Thomas Blood. The king wanted to talk to the thief who had committed such a wicked crime. The end of the story is unbelievable. Thomas Blood was not punished. Moreover, Blood was awarded a pension of £500 a year. At the same time the Master of the Jewel House Talbot Edwards was dismissed for his carelessness. Later, he died in misery.

Since Thomas Blood's attempt in 1600 up to the present date, there have been no attempts to steal the jewels. Nowadays the priceless collection is open for the public to view and the Crown Jewels are considered to be the most well-guarded treasures in the world. They are kept in the Tower and are guarded by the Yeomen Warders, commonly known as the Beefeaters.

1 Nowadays British kings and queens use the Crown Jewels for ceremonial events.

2 Thomas Blood’s crime was well-planned.

3 Thomas Blood damaged the crown to take it out.

4 The criminals were found the next day after the robbery.

5 King Charles II punished Thomas Blood severely.

6 Thomas Blood promised King Charles II to stop stealing forever.

7 After Thomas Blood, other criminals tried to steal the Crown Jewels.

1.       Young people of which country are the fastest at texting?

2.       Who made the first mobile call and why?

3.       Are the rules of using phones in school always followed by students?

4.       Which mobile phone has no other advantages but glamour?

5.       Why can a mobile phone be dangerous for children?

6.       What are the safety tips of using mobile phones?

7.       How can a mobile phone message save your life?

A.     

The first call from a mobile phone was made in 1973. Motorola engineer Martin Cooper made the call from the pavement of Sixth Avenue in New York to show off to his competitor – engineer Joel Angel. He said, "I'm ringing you just to see if my call sounds good at your end." With the first mobile phones, only voice calls were available and there was no texting facility.

B.     

Recently the most expensive phone in the world was presented. It is the iPhone 5 with a case made of 24 carat gold with 600 diamonds! The home button of the smartphone is made of a rare black diamond and the company logo is covered with small diamonds. The cost of this device is about $15 million. The technical characteristics of the iPhone 5 are no different from the regular models.

C.     

Mobile phones are permitted at school in the UK, but students are not allowed to use them in class. Teachers can take away phones if these rules are broken. School students can use their phones at breaktime and at lunchtime. However, some teachers in British schools complain that students don’t always follow the rules and that lessons are disrupted by people texting, receiving calls, looking at social networking sites, watching videos and even making videos in class.

D.     

The mobile phone is a way to warn people about disasters. Some countries have worked out the following system: phone companies automatically notify their population in advance about emergencies and disasters. Such warnings are very efficient and free of charge. Japan and Finland were among the first countries that understood the necessity of this system.

E.     

Parents want their kids to be safe. Are children safer with a mobile phone or without? Many parents want their children to have a phone so that they can be in contact at any time or in any place. On the other hand, for lots of parents a phone is a source of possible danger. Parents worry that their child may meet the wrong kind of ‘friends’ on social networking sites or that they might receive cruel messages from school bullies.

F.     

The idea of sending short text messages originated in 1984. It was later brought to life by a group of engineers from different companies. Writing text messages became extremely popular in Asian countries, especially in Korea. Korean teenagers are certainly text message fans. They send over 200,000 text messages a year - that's more than sixty texts per day. This hobby must have made their fingers really fast.

The Owl   

      Joan Harrison was walking along the street. She was shy and always felt lonely and upset. Joan worked as a secretary in an office in the city centre. It was lunch time and she went out to get some air. She was looking absently at the shop-windows when she saw a brown wooden owl in one of them. Suddenly Joan stopped. Joan was totally indifferent to birds and she had never understood people who collected useless statues. But for some reason she could not take her eyes off the owl. The wooden owl drew Joan to itself.

        Joan decided to buy the owl.  She earned a little, just to pay for her room and food. She couldn’t afford new clothes. Even a ticket to the cinema was a heavy expense for her.  But this time Joan was sure that she had to buy the wooden owl.

Joan opened the door of the shop. She asked the shop assistant about the price of the wooden owl. It was fifty pounds. Joan understood that it was sheer madness to buy such an expensive wooden bird. But she did it without any hesitation.

       The next morning she left her house in a very good mood. Now, having the owl at home, Joan made it a habit to say good-bye and touch the owl’s head before leaving. Amazingly, after this simple gesture she was cheerful and energetic the whole day. One morning, when patting the owl on the head, Joan remembered her wish to join the evening pottery class at college. She had often thought about it but always changed her mind at the last moment. Now she decided to fulfill her wish.

         At the pottery class Joan achieved considerable results. Her teacher said she had a unique style. Nobody knew that she worked hard at home. Under the owl’s observation Joan experimented with forms and colours. Once she took part in the students’ show at the college, and the Museum of Arts asked her to sell her works for two thousand pounds. The sum covered all her debts and she could afford to buy a new dress and shoes and even more. 

         The next step was the annual National Art Festival, at which a secretary, Joan Harrison, presented her personal exhibition. Her fame and income were growing. Joan left her office and became a potter. A year later she and the art director of the museum were happily married. They moved to a large country house and now Joan had her own pottery.

           Joan took the lucky owl with her. It took its honorary place in the large living room. In her last years she often remembered the shop where she had bought the owl, her evening classes and her first steps in pottery. Joan was so proud of the owl that each piece of her pottery had a picture of the owl on it. Lots of famous artists and important people visited Joan and her husband, but Joan never gave her owl to anybody until her dying day.

1 Joan collected small statues of birds.

2 Joan had a well-paid job.

3 The wooden owl improved Joan’s mood.

4 Joan joined the pottery class because of her friends’ advice.

5 Joan successfully participated in art exhibitions.

6 There was an image of the owl on Joan’s every works.

7 After Joan’s death the wooden owl disappeared from her house.

1.       Where is the history of the Olympic Games presented to the visitors?

2.       What were the reasons to stop the Olympic Games twice in the 20th century?

3.       How many Olympic Games were held in Greece?

4.       What are the official languages of the modern Olympics?

5.       What were the life-long benefits for the first Olympic Games winners?

6.       What does the Olympic symbol mean?

7.       Why was that place chosen for the Olympic Games?

A.     

A victory in the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece made a man a national hero and all the little children wanted to be like him. The first champions got free food and housing for their whole lives. They were mentioned in poems and became well-known all over the country. Sculptors even built statues of the competitors. Everyone respected and admired them.

B.     

Olympia was a relatively peaceful and neutral area. It had a beautiful green valley which was very suitable for all kinds of sports competitions. People could easily get to Olympia because there were two rivers nearby. It was impossible to find a better place anywhere else in Greece.

C.     

The Olympic Museum was founded in 1993 in Switzerland. It is surrounded by a park with wonderful works of art based on a sporting theme. It has a big collection of pieces connected with the Olympic movement. It also has the largest number of books and documents about the Games in the world. No wonder the place is one of the main tourist attractions.

D.     

The modern Olympics began in 1894. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a Frenchman, decided to bring back the ancient Greek tradition. He wanted to begin a sports festival to celebrate health, youth and peace. The first modern Olympiad took place in Athens in 1896. Since then, the Olympic Games have been held every four years with two exceptions because of the two world wars.

E.     

The Olympic Games traditionally start with the “Parade of the Nations”. Most of the participating athletes walk out into the stadium. The Greek athletes open the parade and the hosts appear on stadium the last. The name of each country is announced in French and English, the official languages of the Olympic Games, and the language spoken in the country that organizes the Games.

F.     

The five Olympic rings represent the five main regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. They are blue, yellow, black, green and red because every national flag in the world includes one of these five colours. The rings are connected and there is a reason for it. It’s done to show that the Games are for all nations. All good sportsmen can come and compete against one another in unity.

Potatoes

         The potato comes from the high and cool areas of the Andes of Peru. It began to be grown as food more than 7,000 years ago. When Europeans came to South America, they took the potato back to Europe.

         In 1589, Sir Walter Raleigh, an English explorer and historian known for his expeditions to the Americas, first brought the potato to Ireland and planted the new vegetable there. In spite of the fact that the potatoes grew very well in the poor soil of Ireland, it took nearly 200 years for them to become a widely grown crop in Ireland and Great Britain. People didn’t like its unusual appearance and originally bitter taste. Besides, the potato was not mentioned in the Bible and it was often associated with the devil.

        According to legend, Sir Walter Raleigh presented potato plants to Queen Elizabeth I.  A special royal potato dinner was made and the noble men were invited to taste the new American vegetable. But the royal cooks didn’t know how to cook potatoes: they cut off and threw away the ugly-looking tubers and brought to the royal table a dish of boiled leaves (which are very poisonous). Most of the guests died after that royal dinner and potatoes were forbidden for many years.

       Only two hundred years later farmers in Great Britain and Ireland began growing potatoes. Soon the rest of Europe started to follow Britain. The only country which did not accept potatoes was France. To overcome the negative attitude of the French people towards the new vegetable, King Louis XVI started to wear a potato flower as a decoration. He tried to make the people understand the benefit of potatoes as food. Even after the French king had given an order to his citizens to grow potatoes, they still were against the unfamiliar vegetable. The farmers refused to eat potatoes because of its unusual smell and taste. Then King Louis XVI decided to trick his people. In order to show the value of the potato, the king ordered to have it planted in a royal field and put guards to watch over the field. When the local farmers saw the guards at the royal field, they decided that the thing so carefully guarded must be valuable. One day, the guards were allowed to go off duty.  The local farmers went into the field, dug out some potatoes and planted them in their fields. The king’s plan was a success. From this small start, the habit of growing and eating potatoes spread all over the country.

            As Europeans began to grow potatoes, they realized the advantages of the new vegetable. The potato harvest was enough to feed their own families and to sell some to the citizens of towns and cities. The new food stimulated the development of cities and industries.  Besides, the health of the people improved as they included potatoes in their diets. Now the potato is grown and enjoyed everywhere.

1 Potatoes were the basic food for the people of Peru.

2 The British people liked potatoes at once.

3 The potato dish for the royal dinner was prepared in a wrong way.

4 King Louis XVI was against the idea of growing potatoes for food.

5 French farmers stole some potatoes from the King’s field.

6 The potato helped the development of the European countries.

7 Nowadays the potato is the most popular vegetable in Europe.

1.       What can the Indian ancient drawings tell us about?

2.       Why do people come to the holy waters?

3.       Where are Indian movies made?

4.       Why is India getting more and more popular with tourists?

5.       How can travellers escape the heat?

6.       Which ancient language influenced modern languages a lot?

7.       Why is the Indian capital called a city of contrasts?

A.     

The world’s first university was established in India in 700 BC, where more than 10,500 students from around the world studied more than 60 different subjects. The training was conducted in Sanskrit. Nowadays, Sanskrit is considered to be the mother of all the European languages. Its elements can be traced in most of them.

B.     

The most frequently visited place in India is Delhi, the capital city of the country. It seems to be divided into two parts. New Delhi is a modern city with hi-tech architecture, tourist attractions and modern facilities. Old Delhi is several centuries old, with narrow streets, ancient churches and noisy bazaars. Lots of people live in slums without the most essential facilities like toilets and running water.

C.     

People all over the world know of India’s greatest river, the Ganges.  The river looks extremely beautiful in the morning light. It is the subject of thousands of prayers. It has become a common ritual for pilgrims to gather by the holy river in the mornings. It is believed that bathing in the Ganges helps to cure all kinds of diseases and can improve your life in general.

D.     

Indian climate differs from one part of the country to another. The air is cool and fresh in the mountains, but in the plains it is usually very hot and dry, so even a short trip can be very hard for an inexperienced traveller. That is why tourists are always glad to have a rest at one of the numerous stations in the hills. There they can enjoy a nice cup of real Indian tea, the most refreshing drink in such a climate.

E.     

India is not all history. It is also famous for its Bollywood industry, which produces different films. Indian films have always had their own style; they are rich in music and dancing. Though the industry is still developing, many Indian film stars have received Oscar prizes and are known throughout the world. The home of Bollywood is Mumbai, also known as a busy port and the country’s commercial centre.

F.     

There is an unusual treasure hidden in the Indian mountains. These are striking ancient temples cut in the rocks. For example, the Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta were built at least 2,000 years ago. Inside the caves on the walls, tourists can see animal images and pictures of people’s lives. Some researchers believe that the interpretation of the images can help us to learn a lot about people’s lives in ancient times.

Running the Thames

Three friends Alan, Tom and Martin decided to run 184 miles along the most famous British river – from the beginning of the Thames down to its mouth, where the river runs into the sea.

Their preparations for the marathon didn’t take long and they set out. It was not easy to find the place marked on the map as the official source of the river Thames. In reality, it was an old stone under a big tree. Surprisingly, there was practically no water at the source, just a small pit. However, at the end of the first day they came to a narrow stream running under a wooden bridge.

The runners were lucky with the weather; it was cool and bright for the whole week. Soft winds blew and the sun shone. In spite of the weather, the start of the marathon was not very promising. On the first day, Martin accidentally fell over a tree root and hurt his foot. In addition to that, Alan said he had damaged his rucksack during their preparation. However, the friends went on running.

They passed lovely houses and some wonderful nature. The Thames had grown from a small river into a strong stream. Hypnotised by the view of the river, Tom missed the path and fell into the mud. Cold and angry, he was a real trouble the first day. In the evening, the runners reached the point where the river became possible to navigate. The friends were so tired that they stopped at a cheap hotel for food, drink and sleep.

The second day they ran along arched stone bridges and through forty-five river locks[1], each one having its own history. The runners stopped at the first lock to take a photo by the 19th century statue of Old Father Thames. The other locks and the bridges, dating from the 13th century, could have told much about British royal families, writers and inventors, battles and victories. So the runners spent the second day exploring the locks and the old bridges and taking photos.

The next few days Alan, Tom and Martin ran through quiet and peaceful places in Oxfordshire. The calm river occupied all their thoughts and they left their troubles behind them. They spent nights at small Bed-and-Breakfasts with unusual foreign guests who were discovering the old British towns, castles and churches.

Closer to London the Thames changed its character. It became wide and busy with numerous boats and ships. The banks were full of grand houses with green lawns, street markets and modern walkways.

On the seventh day the runners followed the river as it cut the capital in two. The friends made their way past famous London sights such as The Tower, The London Eye and Greenwich.

Finally the friends got to The Thames Barrier, where the river ran into the sea. The marathon was over.

[1] river locks – шлюзы на реке

1 There was a natural mark which indicated the start of the river Thames.

2 During the marathon the weather was fine.

3 After the accident with Martin’s leg, Tom carried his rucksack.

4 During the marathon the friends spent all their nights in the tent.

5 There were a lot of tourists near the statue of Old Father Thames.

6 Near London the Thames was closed to navigation.

7 The marathon route went through London.

1.       How many of the native people of New Zealand still live there?

2.       What meteorological information can you get looking at the flag?

3.       What traditions have the Maoris kept to the present day?

4.       Which tourist destination in New Zealand can become extremely dangerous?

5.       Where can you see the landscapes of New Zealand without going there?

6.       How did people damage the ecosystem of New Zealand?

7.       After which European place was New Zealand named?

A.     

The weather of New Zealand is pleasant in all seasons, though it's rather windy. Wellington, the country's capital, is known as the Windy City. The strongest winds blow from the south. The wind speed and direction can be seen from the flag flown from the Parliament. A large flag is flown only on calm days and a small flag is flown when windy days are expected.

B.     

More than a century before Columbus crossed the Atlantic to discover America, the Maoris sailed over thousands of kilometers of ocean to settle in New Zealand. They made their great journey in double canoes. Today, Maoris make up 14 percent of the country's population, and their history, language and traditions are central to New Zealand’s identity.

C.     

Before humans settled in New Zealand, it had an incredible variety of birds. As they had no natural enemies to fly away from, wings became unnecessary for some birds. When Maoris and, later, Europeans went to New Zealand, they started to hunt birds. They also brought predators, including rats. The new enemies and loss of territory led to the reduction in the birds’ populations and to the complete extinction of some species.

D.     

Ever since the first 'Lord of the Rings' film was released in 2001, New Zealand has been known as the 'Home of Middle-earth'. New Zealand’s dramatic scenery plays the mythical world of Middle-earth on the big screen in both 'The Lord of the Rings' and ‘The Hobbit’ trilogies. More than 250 places throughout the country were used as locations for the films, which made New Zealand the greatest destination for Tolkien enthusiasts.

E.     

New Zealand is an extremely beautiful country situated in the south-western Pacific Ocean. Mountain ranges and hill country dominate New Zealand’s landscape. Its dramatic views impressed the Europeans when they first landed on the islands. The name New Zealand comes from the Dutch Nieuw Zeeland. This name was given by the first European explorer Abel Tasman after the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands.

F.     

Auckland’s diverse landscapes provide countless opportunities to be impressed: rainforests and black sand beaches, picturesque country gardens and calm bays. However, this region is spotted with 48 volcanic cones. Rangitoto Island, just a 25-minute ferry ride from Auckland, is the region's most iconic volcano. A lot of tourists visit the island every day to see the volcano. But who knows when it might wake up?

Tea

Everybody knows that Britain is a tea-drinking nation. Tea is more than just a drink to the British – it is a way of life. Many people drink it first with breakfast, then mid-morning, with lunch, at tea-time (around 5 o’clock), with dinner and finally just before bed. As a nation, they go through 185 million cups per day! No less than 77% of British people are regular tea drinkers; they drink more than twice as much tea as coffee.

A legend says that tea was discovered in China in the third millennium BC. When a Chinese Emperor was having breakfast in his garden, a tea leaf fell into his cup with hot water. The water became coloured and the Emperor was delighted with the taste of the new drink. To Britain, tea came much later. It happened in the 17th century, when the British ships landed on the shore of China and came back with a load of tea.

Tea drinking became fashionable in England after Charles II married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. She adored tea and introduced it to the royal court. Just as people today will copy celebrities, people in the 17th and 18th centuries copied the royal family. Tea drinking spread like wildfire, starting first among the nobles and then spreading to wealthy businessmen who liked to sit down for a nice ‘cuppa’ in coffee houses. Tea was an expensive product. It was only for the rich and often kept under lock and key.

In the 17th century the British really had two daily meals – breakfast and dinner. Dinner was the heaviest meal of the day, and was usually served in the afternoon. The custom of eating a regular ‘afternoon tea’ began during the 1700’s, as people began serving dinner later and later in the evening. For the aristocracy, or at least for the Duchess Anna Maria of Bedford, 6 hours between meals was simply too long. She began to ask for a cup of tea and light snacks to be served around 5 pm, and then began to invite guests to join her. The custom of ‘afternoon tea’ was born, and it spread among the upper classes and then among the workers, for whom this late afternoon meal became the main of the day.

The first tea shop for ladies was opened by Thomas Twining in 1717 and slowly tea shops began to appear throughout England making the drinking of tea available to everyone. The British appreciated the new drink for its taste. It was also believed that tea cured lots of diseases.  However, the most important thing was that drinking tea prevented lots of diseases – to make the drink people used boiled water and drank less raw water.

For centuries now, tea has been the national drink of Great Britain. Tea has so thoroughly integrated itself into British culture that during World War II the government was seriously afraid that the country’s morale could suffer from the lack of tea and made a special decision to ration it.

Tea has worked its way into language too. Nowadays people have tea breaks at work, even if they drink coffee or cola. Many people call the main evening meal tea, even if they drink beer with it. When there is a lot of trouble about something very unimportant, it is called a storm in a tea cup. When someone is upset or depressed, people say they need tea and sympathy. In fact, tea is the best treatment for all sorts of problems and troubles.

1 In general British people prefer coffee to tea.

2 In the 17th century a Chinese Emperor sent tea to the British royal family as a present.

3 Tea became popular in Great Britain due to the royal marriage.

4 The ‘afternoon tea’ tradition was started by a woman.

5 In the first tea shops the British could also buy some medicines.

6 During World War II the British government prohibited drinking tea.

7 There are many phrases with ‘tea’ in the English language.

1.       What people live on the continent?

2.       What is done to protect Antarctica’s environment?

3.       How was Antarctica discovered?

4.       What would happen if Antarctica’s temperature rose?

5.       How has the continent changed over the years?

6.       What are the colours of Antarctica’s flag?

7.       Why is Antarctica often called a dry land?

A.     

Antarctica has no government and no country owns this continent. It is the only region on earth which is not ruled by any nation. There are no local people in Antarctica. However, in the summer season, more than four thousand scientists from different countries come to study the mysterious region while one thousand stay there in the winter season. The scientific bases are the only ‘settlements’ with residents who stay for several months or a year.

B.     

Antarctica is a huge desert, despite the fact that it holds 70 percent of the world's fresh water. Usually, no more than six centimeters of rain fall per year. Most of this falls in the eastern part of the continent. These figures are comparable to those of the Sahara desert. Some parts of Antarctica have had no rain or snow for the last 2 million years.

C.     

You will be surprised to know that Antarctica was found just 200 years ago. The ancient Greeks did not mark Antarctica on their maps. It was only in 1820 that travellers found this icy, white continent. Actually, it happened by accident. The captain of the Imperial Russian Navy, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, was the first person who saw Antarctica from his ship. It was on 27th January 1820.

D.     

Antarctica contains about 90 percent of the world's ice. It also has 8 times more ice than the Arctic. If all of the Antarctic ice melted, the sea level around the world would rise about 70 meters. But the average temperature in Antarctica is -37°C and the ice is in no danger of melting so far. In fact, in most parts of the continent it never gets above freezing.

E.     

Since Antarctica is not a country, it has neither a state emblem nor an official flag. However, in 2002, a special flag was approved by the Antarctic Treaty Organization. The design of the flag was suggested by Graham Bartram who used the flag of the United Nations as its basic pattern. The white image of Antarctica on the blue background looks simple and elegant.

F.     

Fifty million years ago Antarctica had a mild climate, evergreen forests and many more kinds of animals than it has today. Due to continental drift, Antarctica moved from the equator to the South Pole, where it is today. Nowadays, Antarctica is the coldest continent on the planet and almost completely covered with a layer of ice. However, its wildlife is quite diverse: from emperor penguins and humpback whales to small bugs in the coastal areas.

Fast Food

When people all over the world are looking for a quick, easy meal, fast food is the most common choice. With good service, low prices and a relaxed atmosphere, fast food looks like the ideal choice. In fact, over 25 per cent of Europeans eat fast food every day.  Fries and hamburgers are sold everywhere: in big cities, small towns, shopping malls, airports, bus stations, schools, and even hospitals!

However, fast food companies make clients eat more. They offer over-sized burgers, extra-large French fries, and big portions of Coke. What's more, these “large versions” are usually cheaper. The products have lots of calories, sugar and fat. A typical hamburger at a fast food restaurant weighs 170 grams. In 1957, it was just 50 grams. According to scientists, your fast food meal is like three ordinary meals.

Fast food doesn't spoil. This is because it has lots of “special” ingredients. There's a video on YouTube that illustrates this. It is based on a true story. In 1991, an engineer from the USA, Tom Scarvell, met with friends for New Year's Eve. They stopped at McDonald's on the way home. He bought some cheeseburgers, ate one and put the other in his coat pocket. Then he forgot about it. A year later, he took the coat out of the wardrobe, put it on and discovered the cheeseburger in his pocket from New Year's Eve. It looked exactly the same. He was absolutely shocked. He told his friends and family but nobody believed him. So he decided to start a “burger museum” to show everyone that these cheeseburgers and hamburgers don’t decompose.

He started collecting burgers, one every year. He kept them on bookshelves in his living room in the open air. These burgers looked exactly the same, the bun, the meat, the cheese, the special sauce, the cucumber, even the lettuce. They all kept their shape and colour for over five years!

It is surprising that although most people don't think that fast food is the best choice they can't stop going to fast food restaurants, like McDonald’s. The chain has healthy dishes on the menu, such as fruit and vegetables. Why not order them? But you don’t go to McDonald’s for a green salad or a yoghurt! The unhealthy hamburgers, French fries and milkshakes are more common and attractive and to many people they are tastier than low calorie dishes.

There is no problem with eating fast food from time to time. If you really are dreaming about a hamburger, go and get it. But if you're having a stressful day, remember that lunch in a fast food restaurant is not a good choice. Doctors strongly recommend avoiding all fast food and takeaways these days. You can occasionally allow yourself a fast food meal. However, if you are eating it more than once a week, think of giving up.

Fast food should play a small role in your life. If you don't have a way out, have a fast food meal in one of McDonald’s restaurants but choose the healthier dishes. You should be aware of what you eat and try to develop healthy eating habits.

1 Fast food is more popular with people in their 30s than with modern teenagers.

2 Nowadays fast food portions are getting smaller.

3 Tom Scarvell kept his collection of burgers in a large fridge.

4 Burgers from Tom Scarvell’s collection looked the same for years.

5 It’s possible to find some healthy food in McDonald’s.

6 Fast food dishes can help when you feel stressed out.

7 McDonald’s is cheaper than other fast food restaurants.