making it the world’s third-most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan. The island of Ireland is situated to the west of it, and together these islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands, comprise the British Isles archipelago.
Politically, the island is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and constitutes most of its territory. Most of England, Scotland, and Wales are on the island. The term «Great Britain» often extends to include surrounding islands that form part of England, Scotland, and Wales, and is also sometimes loosely applied to the UK as a whole.
TASK 2
You are going to take part in a telephone survey. You have to answer six questions. Give full answers to the questions. Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.
Electronic assistant: Hello! It’s the electronic assistant of Timetable School Service. We kindly ask you to take part in our survey. We need to find out how students feel about their school. Please answer six questions. The survey is anonymous – you don’t have to give your name. So, let’s get started.
Electronic assistant: How many lessons do you usually have?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: What subjects do you find the most difficult?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: What is your favourite week day? Why do you like it?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: What sport facilities are there in your school?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: Do you think school uniform is necessary or not? Why do you think so?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: What would you recommend your friends do to improve their English?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: This is the end of the survey. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
TASK 3
You are going to give a talk about music in your life. You will have to start in 1.5 minutes and speak for not more than 2 minutes (10—12 sentences).
Remember to say:
• how often you usually listen to music;
• where you can get it;
• what kind of music you prefer and why.
You have to talk continuously.
VARIANT 4
TASK 1
You are going to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.
The first English grammar, Pamphlet for Grammar by William Bullokar, written with the seeming goal of demonstrating that English was quite as rule-bound as Latin, was published in 1586. Bullokar’s grammar was faithfully modeled on William Lily’s Latin grammar, Rudimenta Grammatices in 1534. Lily’s grammar was being used in schools in England at that time, having been «prescribed» for them in 1542 by Henry VIII. Although Bullokar wrote his grammar in English and used a «reformed spelling system» of his own invention, many English grammars, for much of the century after Bullokar’s effort, were to be written in Latin; this was especially so for books whose authors were aiming to be scholarly. Christopher Cooper’s Grammatica (1685) was the last English grammar written in Latin.
TASK 2
You are going to take part in a telephone survey. You have to answer six questions. Give full answers to the questions. Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.
Electronic assistant: Hello! It’s the electronic assistant of the City Library. We kindly ask you to take part in our survey. We need to find out how students feel about books and libraries. Please answer six questions. The survey is anonymous – you don’t have to give your name. So, let’s get started.
Electronic assistant: What kind of books and magazines do you prefer to read?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: Who is your favourite writer and why?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: How often do you go to the library and borrow books?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: Why do you think people are reading fewer paper books now?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: Can reading English books help students improve their English?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: What kind of books and magazines would you recommend your friends read at leisure at the weekend and why?
Student: ________________________
Electronic assistant: This is the end of the survey. Thank you very much for your help.
TASK 3
You are going to give a talk about national holidays in Russia. You will have to start in 1.5 minutes and speak for not more than 2 minutes (10—12 sentences).
Remember to say:
· what the most important public holidays usually celebrated in Russia are;
· what your favourite public holiday is, and why you like it;
· how New Year holiday is celebratedin your city, town or village.
You have to talk continuously.
VARIANT 5
TASK 1
You are going to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.
The history of Antarctica emerges from early Western theories of a vast continent, known as Terra Australis, believed to exist in the far south of the globe. The term Antarctic, referring to the opposite of the Arctic Circle, was coined by Marinus of Tyre in the 2nd century AD.
The rounding of the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn in the 15th and 16th centuries proved that Terra Australis Incognita or «Unknown Southern Land», if it existed, was acontinent in its own right. In 1773 James Cook and his crew crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time but although they discovered nearby islands, they did not catch sight of Antarctica itself. It is believed he was as close as 241.4 km from the mainland.
TASK 2
You are going to take part in a telephone