Вопросы 12-18

Раздел 2. Чтение

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

So far there are only two ways to get into space — you either have to be an astronaut or very rich. Countries such as Russia and the USA have space programs, but you need to be highly qualified and very determined if you want to become an astronaut. Only a few of the thousands of applicants make it through the training and selection program. Alternatively, if you have the money and are fit enough, you may be able to buy a place on the space journey, as the US millionaire, Mike Melwill did in 2004. But soon there may be another way.

Asif Mahsood is a 14-year old Pakistani with big plans. He dreams of getting a job in space, but hopes he doesn’t need to become an astronaut. And the idea is not so fantastic. Many experts believe that the travel industry will be revolutionized during the next decades by the development of space holidays.

Most people know about the space stations that are already circling the Earth. They are used for research and are operated by professional astronauts. But soon a space station could be built for commercial purposes. A holiday in space would not be cheap, but there are probably already plenty of people who would be prepared to pay.

This is where Asif’s dream comes in. He wants to be the manager of the world’s first orbiting hotel. It is likely that rocket ships will provide the transport. They could be launched from the Earth’s surface, or even from a carrier aircraft high in the atmosphere. The space hotel will be designed with a landing platform for the rocket ship. The passengers could then move into the hotel through a large tube connected to the hotel entrance. This would be necessary because there is no gravity in space. However, inside the space hotel there would need to be a system creating artificial gravity, so that guests could move around normally.

Naturally, if hotels are built in space, there will also be new jobs in space. Guests will need all the normal services found in a hotel on Earth, but there will also be some new possibilities. For example, all sorts of recreation activities could be designed to take advantage of the zero gravity conditions in space. Being able to float around a room, bounce off the walls and ceiling would be very attractive for tourists looking for a new experience. Games of three-dimensional football, basketball or volleyball would certainly be very interesting. The hotel would also have telescopes to look out at the universe, and to look back at the Earth below. 

A space hotel will need to have other facilities that are not necessary in normal hotels. It would be more like a small city in some ways, with its own hospital, communication system, police force and fire department.

In the meantime, Asif is going to keep studying hard at school so that he can find a job working in one of the big international hotels in Lahore or Karachi. He wants to qualify in hotel management and continue to study business administration. The hotels are much the same, so Asif believes that the best preparation for a job in space will be gaining plenty of experience working in Earth hotels. 

The whole idea of hotels in space may sound a little like science fiction, but 30 years ago technology such as mobile video phones and the Internet seemed to be just a crazy dream, whereas today they are a normal part of everyday life, and it is hard to imagine our world without them. 

12. Who is Mike Melwill?

1) The founder of a new space program.

2) An American scientist.

3) A highly-qualified astronaut.

4) A man who paid for a space travel.

13. Asif’s final aim is to

1) become an astronaut.

2) go on a space holiday.

3) be a hotel manager in Pakistan.

4) work in a new type of a hotel.

 14. What will be new in the operations of space stations in the future?

1) Scientific research will be performed on them.

2) They will be used for training professional astronauts.

3) They will be used for making money.

4) They will be less expensive.

15. In space hotels, a large tube will be necessary for

1) creating artificial gravity.

2) connecting the hotel to the landing area.

3) linking hotels with the Earth.

4) launching the rocket ships.

16. Which of the following is NOT described as possible entertainment in space hotels?

1) Walks in the open space.

2) Jumping on the ceiling.

3) Watching the Earth through a telescope.

4) Playing extra dimensional volley-ball.

17. Space hotels will require 

1) exactly the same services and facilities as normal hotels.

2) absolutely different services and facilities than normal hotels.

3) more services and facilities than normal hotels.

4) less services and facilities than normal hotels.

18. The author argues that

1) many things that used to be science fiction exist nowadays.

2) rich people should finance the space exploration.

3) space hotels are just a crazy dream.

4) it’s already hard to imagine our world without space travelling.

Вопросы 12-18

Раздел 2. Чтение

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

Lily and I had planned a movie marathon weekend. I was exhausted from work and she was stressed out from her classes, so we’d promised to spend the whole weekend parked on her couch and subsist solely on pizza and crisps. No healthy food. No diet Coke. And absolutely no strict, official clothes. Even though we talked all the time, we hadn’t spent any real time together since I’d moved to the city.

We’d been friends since the eighth grade, when I first saw Lily crying alone at a cafeteria table. She’d just moved in with her grandmother and started at our school in Avon, after it became clear that her parents weren’t coming home any time soon. The day I found her crying alone in the cafeteria was the day her grandmother had forced her to chop off her dirty dreadlocks, and Lily was not very happy about it. Something about the way she talked, the way she said, “That’s so nice of you,” and “Let’s just forget about it”, charmed me, and we immediately became friends. We’d been inseparable through the rest of high school, and lived in the same room for all four years at Brown College. Lily hadn’t yet decided whether she preferred girlish dresses or rough leather jackets, but we complemented each other well. And I missed her. Because with her first year as a graduate student and my exhausting work, we hadn’t seen a whole lot of each other lately.

Lily was studying for her Ph.D. in Russian Literature at Columbia University and working odd jobs every free second she wasn’t studying. Her grandmother barely had enough money to support herself, and Lily had to pay for the studies on her own. However, she seemed to be fond of such a way of life. She loved Russian culture ever since her eighth-grade teacher told her that Lily looked how he had always pictured Lolita, with her round face and curly black hair. She went directly home and read Nabokov’s “Lolita”, and then read everything else Nabokov wrote. And Tolstoy. And Gogol. And Chekhov. By the time we finished school, she was applying to Brown College to work with a specific professor who had a degree in Russian Literature. On interviewing a seventeen-year-old Lily the professor declared her one of the most well- read and passionate students of Russian literature he’d ever met. She still loved it, still studied Russian grammar and could read anything in its original.

I couldn’t wait for the weekend. My fourteen-hour workdays were registering in my feet, my upper arms, and my lower back. Glasses had replaced the contacts I’d worn for a decade because my eyes were too dry and tired to accept them anymore. I’d begun losing weight already as I never had time to eat properly, although I was drinking an enormous amount of coffee. I’d already weathered a flue infection and had paled significantly, and it had been only four weeks. I was only twenty-three years old. And my boss hadn’t even been in the office yet. I knew I deserved a weekend.

Saturday afternoon found us particularly motivated, and we managed to saunter round the city center for a few hours. We each bought some new clothes for the upcoming New Year’s party and had a mug of hot chocolate from a sidewalk cafii. By the time we made it back to her apartment, we were exhausted and happy and spent the rest of the night watching old movies and eating pizza.

12.What did the girls hope to do that weekend?

1) Talk all the weekend.

2) Have some more studies that weekend.

3) Go to the cinema.

4) Have a quiet weekend in.

13.When the girl first met her friend, Lily 

1) lived with her parents.

2) visited her grandmother.

3) just came to live in Avon.

4) had just lost her parents.

14.Lily was crying when the girl first met her because

1) she missed her parents.

2) her grandmother didn’t like the way she talked.

3) she had to wear clothes she didn’t like.

4) her grandmother had cut her hair short.

15.Why did the girl become friends with Lily? 

1) She liked Lily’s dress.

2) She became fascinated with her.

3) They had common problems.

4) She wanted to comfort her.

16. “We complemented each other well” in paragraph 2 means that they

1) were a perfect match.

2) liked the same things.

3) supported each other.

4) found a common language.

17. Why did Lily have to do some occasional jobs?

1) She had to pay for her studies.

2) She had to support her grandmother.

3) She liked to change jobs.

4) She spent a lot on her clothes.

18. The girl “couldn’t wait for the weekend” because she

1) wanted to eat properly at last.

2) needed to get well after a flue infection.

3) wanted Lily to have a break from her studies.

4) needed a rest from her job.

Вопросы 12-18

Раздел 2. Чтение

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

Llandudno is truly a fine and handsome place, built on a generously proportioned bay and lined along its broad front with a huddle of prim but gracious nineteenth-century hotels that reminded me in the fading light of a lineup of Victorian nannies. Llandudno was purpose-built as a resort in the mid-1800s, and it cultivates a nice old-fashioned air. I don’t suppose that Lewis Carroll, who famously strolled this front with little Alice Liddell in the 1860s, would notice a great deal of change today.

To my consternation, the town was packed with weekending pensioners. Buses from all over were parked along the side streets, every hotel I called at was full, and in every dining room I could see crowds – veritable oceans – of nodding white heads spooning soup and conversing happily. Goodness knows what had brought them to the Welsh seaside at this bleak time of year.

Farther on along the front there stood a clutch of guesthouses, large and virtually indistinguishable, and a few of them had vacancy signs in their windows. I had eight or ten to choose from, which always puts me in a mild fret because I have an unerring instinct for choosing badly. My wife can survey a row of guesthouses and instantly identify the one run by a white-haired widow with a fondness for children, and sparkling bathroom facilities, whereas I can generally count on choosing the one run by a guy with a grasping manner, and the sort of cough that makes you wonder where he puts the phlegm. Such, I felt, would be the case tonight.

All the guesthouses had boards out front listing their many amenities – COLOUR TV, HOSPITALITY TRAYS, FULL CENTRAL HEATING, and the coyly euphemistic EN SUITE ALL ROOMS, meaning private bathrooms. One place offered satellite TV and a trouser press, and another boasted CURRENT FIRE CERTIFICATE – something I had never thought to look for in a B&B. All this heightened my sense of unease and doom. How could I possibly choose intelligently among such a variety of options?

I selected a place that looked reasonable enough from the outside – its board promised a color TV and coffee making facilities, about all I require these days for a Saturday night – but from the moment I set foot in the door I knew it was a bad choice. I was about to turn and flee when the owner emerged from a back room and stopped my retreat with an unenthusiastic “Yes?” A short conversation revealed that a single room with breakfast was for £19.50. It was entirely out of the question that I would stay the night in such a dismal place at such an exorbitant price, so I said, “That sounds fine,” and signed in. Well, it’s so hard to say no.

My room was everything I expected it to be – cold and cheerless with laminated furniture, grubbily matted carpet, and those mysterious ceiling stains that bring to mind a neglected corpse in the room above. There was a tray of coffee things but the cups were disgusting, and the spoon was stuck to the tray. The bathroom, faintly illuminated by a distant light activated by a length of string, had curling floor tiles and years of accumulated dirt packed into every corner. I peered at the yellowy tile around the bath and sink and realized what the landlord did with his phlegm. A bath was out of the question, so I threw some cold water on my face, dried it with a towel that had the texture of shredded wheat, and gladly took my leave.

12.Llandudno is described as a

1) fashionable 19th century resort.

2) beautiful growing resort.

3) place where Lewis Carroll lived.

4) place famous for its comfortable hotels.

13.The phrase “veritable oceans” in paragraph 2 refers to

 1) hotel dining rooms.

2) hotel guests wearing white hats.

3) old people dining in cafes.

4) buses crowded with old Welsh people.

14.When choosing a guesthouse the narrator was worried because he

 1) wasn’t good at making the right choice.

2) could not find a place run by a kind old widow.

3) did not know what to look for.

4) missed his wife for help.

15.The narrator thought that the choice of a guesthouse used to be easier because

 1) all hotels had a private bathroom.

2) there were fewer options on offer.

3) there were fewer guest houses.

4) they were all of B&B type.

16.Why did the narrator agree to the room?

 1) He felt sorry for the landlord.

2) He could not refuse the offer.

3) It was really cheap.

4) There was a TV and a coffee maker.

17.Why was the bath out of the question?

 1) The water was too cold.

2) There was no hot water.

3) The bathtub was dirty.

4) There was no light.

18.What is the narrator’s attitude towards the room he stayed in?

1) Surprised.

2) Indifferent.

3) Positive.

4) Critical.

Вопросы 12-18

Раздел 2. Чтение

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

Llandudno is truly a fine and handsome place, built on a generously proportioned bay and lined along its broad front with a huddle of prim but gracious nineteenth-century hotels that reminded me in the fading light of a lineup of Victorian nannies. Llandudno was purpose-built as a resort in the mid-1800s, and it cultivates a nice old-fashioned air. I don’t suppose that Lewis Carroll, who famously strolled this front with little Alice Liddell in the 1860s, would notice a great deal of change today.

To my consternation, the town was packed with weekending pensioners. Buses from all over were parked along the side streets, every hotel I called at was full, and in every dining room I could see crowds – veritable oceans – of nodding white heads spooning soup and conversing happily. Goodness knows what had brought them to the Welsh seaside at this bleak time of year.

Farther on along the front there stood a clutch of guesthouses, large and virtually indistinguishable, and a few of them had vacancy signs in their windows. I had eight or ten to choose from, which always puts me in a mild fret because I have an unerring instinct for choosing badly. My wife can survey a row of guesthouses and instantly identify the one run by a white-haired widow with a fondness for children, and sparkling bathroom facilities, whereas I can generally count on choosing the one run by a guy with a grasping manner, and the sort of cough that makes you wonder where he puts the phlegm. Such, I felt, would be the case tonight.

All the guesthouses had boards out front listing their many amenities – COLOUR TV, HOSPITALITY TRAYS, FULL CENTRAL HEATING, and the coyly euphemistic EN SUITE ALL ROOMS, meaning private bathrooms. One place offered satellite TV and a trouser press, and another boasted CURRENT FIRE CERTIFICATE – something I had never thought to look for in a B&B. All this heightened my sense of unease and doom. How could I possibly choose intelligently among such a variety of options?

I selected a place that looked reasonable enough from the outside – its board promised a color TV and coffee making facilities, about all I require these days for a Saturday night – but from the moment I set foot in the door I knew it was a bad choice. I was about to turn and flee when the owner emerged from a back room and stopped my retreat with an unenthusiastic “Yes?” A short conversation revealed that a single room with breakfast was for £19.50. It was entirely out of the question that I would stay the night in such a dismal place at such an exorbitant price, so I said, “That sounds fine,” and signed in. Well, it’s so hard to say no.

My room was everything I expected it to be – cold and cheerless with laminated furniture, grubbily matted carpet, and those mysterious ceiling stains that bring to mind a neglected corpse in the room above. There was a tray of coffee things but the cups were disgusting, and the spoon was stuck to the tray. The bathroom, faintly illuminated by a distant light activated by a length of string, had curling floor tiles and years of accumulated dirt packed into every corner. I peered at the yellowy tile around the bath and sink and realized what the landlord did with his phlegm. A bath was out of the question, so I threw some cold water on my face, dried it with a towel that had the texture of shredded wheat, and gladly took my leave.

12.Llandudno is described as a

1) fashionable 19th century resort.

2) beautiful growing resort.

3) place where Lewis Carroll lived.

4) place famous for its comfortable hotels.

13.The phrase “veritable oceans” in paragraph 2 refers to

 1) hotel dining rooms.

2) hotel guests wearing white hats.

3) old people dining in cafes.

4) buses crowded with old Welsh people.

14.When choosing a guesthouse the narrator was worried because he

 1) wasn’t good at making the right choice.

2) could not find a place run by a kind old widow.

3) did not know what to look for.

4) missed his wife for help.

15.The narrator thought that the choice of a guesthouse used to be easier because

 1) all hotels had a private bathroom.

2) there were fewer options on offer.

3) there were fewer guest houses.

4) they were all of B&B type.

16.Why did the narrator agree to the room?

 1) He felt sorry for the landlord.

2) He could not refuse the offer.

3) It was really cheap.

4) There was a TV and a coffee maker.

17.Why was the bath out of the question?

 1) The water was too cold.

2) There was no hot water.

3) The bathtub was dirty.

4) There was no light.

18.What is the narrator’s attitude towards the room he stayed in?

1) Surprised.

2) Indifferent.

3) Positive.

4) Critical.

Вопросы 12-18

Раздел 2. Чтение

Вопросы 12-18

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

Ha, ha, ha! How they laughed that day in the 1790s when a man first walked the streets of London holding an umbrella.

Some people got angry and began shouting that to carry such a contraption was ungodly because it ‘defied the heavenly purpose of rain’ (which is to get uswet).

Drivers of Hackney carriages soon realised umbrellas posed a threat to their trade, and insulted chaps who carried them by yelling: ‘What’s wrong – are you a Frenchman?’ It was a grievous insult (and still is today), but the umbrella was not

to be denied.

Eton schoolboys took to carrying them, much to the annoyance of their headmaster, John Keats. “An effeminate innovation,” he thundered. “We are degenerating into a girl’s school.”

Early umbrellas were not impenetrable to rain. Their coverings of cotton, or even silk, were coated with oil, varnish or melted wax, which soon cracked. They featured all kinds of gimmicks. Some had windows, or whistled when open. There was an umbrella with a gutter, which drained rain down a tube. A variation on this caught rain in a flask for use as drinking water.

It was not until about 1800 that umbrellas and parasols achieved separate identities in Britain. Since ancient times there have been umbrellas to keep off the sun, but the word umbrella had nothing to do with rain. It is derived from Latin ‘umbra’, meaning shade.

Until the early 1850s umbrellas had heavy whalebone frames which tended to crack. But then Samuel Fox came on the scene, and from his factory in Stockbridge, Sheffield, he revolutionised the umbrella world. In 1852, he patented a lightweight metal frame which was to make him a fortune and set the standard for umbrellas we know today.

The first umbrellas came to Britain from France but by the time of the battle of Waterloo in 1815 it was the French who were laughing at the British for using them. Napoleon’s General Lejeune was highly amused that English officers rode across the field of battle holding aloft umbrellas and parasols. It might have looked ridiculous, but the British won!

That was not the only instance of umbrellas being used by the British army. The British Major Digby Tatham-Warter, veteran of WWI, and a commander of a parachute brigade during WWII, always carried an umbrella into battle. This not only provided some British humour in otherwise very serious and frightening circumstances, but was even used by the brave major to fight the Germans. Once he disabled a German tank by pushing the umbrella through the observation slit and wounding the driver in the eye.

Some collectors believe that now is a perfect time to start collecting antique umbrellas and parasols, as they are reckoned to be underpriced, a situation which could easily change if more people got the idea of collecting them. Parasol styles seemed to change every few months in the 19th century, so there are plenty to choose from. Beautiful parasols made in Victorian times can be bought for as little as 30 to 100 pounds, but even a rare Georgian umbrella with carved ivory grip might be unlikely to exceed 500 pounds at an auction.

12.Drivers of Hackney carriages insulted people who were using umbrellas because

1) they wanted to sell umbrellas themselves.

2) they were trying to save their business.

3) the owners of umbrellas were French.

4) they didn't like what umbrellas looked like

13.The funny and clever features of the first umbrellas did NOT include the following:

1) making special noises

2) having transparent parts

3) being totally waterproof

4) having a container for a drink

14.Before 1800 the word ‘umbrella’ meant

1) the same as the word ‘parasol’.

2) nothing: it simply did not exist.

3) ‘a device protecting you from the rain’.

4) any kind of shade of any shape.

15.What did Samuel Fox do?

1) He replaced heavy whalebone with light metal.

2) He became rich having discovered light metals.

3) He wrote specifications for a quality umbrella.

4) He participated in the revolutionary movement.

16.The French were laughing at the British during the Battle of Waterloo because

1) the French were winning.

2) the British looked funny.

3) the British copied the French.

4) it was General Lejeune’s tactics.

17.Which statement is NOT true about Major Digby Tatham-Warter?

1) He had a British sense of humour.

2) He was a typical British eccentric.

3) He used an umbrella as a weapon.

4) He didn’t find war serious or scary.

18According to the author of the article, Victorian parasols are

1) now cheap to buy.

2) collectors' favourites.

3) not reliable enough.

4) not sold at auctions.

Вопросы 12-18

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

Ha, ha, ha! How they laughed that day in the 1790s when a man first walked the streets of London holding an umbrella.

Some people got angry and began shouting that to carry such a contraption was ungodly because it ‘defied the heavenly purpose of rain’ (which is to get uswet).

Drivers of Hackney carriages soon realised umbrellas posed a threat to their trade, and insulted chaps who carried them by yelling: ‘What’s wrong – are you a Frenchman?’ It was a grievous insult (and still is today), but the umbrella was not

to be denied.

Eton schoolboys took to carrying them, much to the annoyance of their headmaster, John Keats. “An effeminate innovation,” he thundered. “We are degenerating into a girl’s school.”

Early umbrellas were not impenetrable to rain. Their coverings of cotton, or even silk, were coated with oil, varnish or melted wax, which soon cracked. They featured all kinds of gimmicks. Some had windows, or whistled when open. There was an umbrella with a gutter, which drained rain down a tube. A variation on this caught rain in a flask for use as drinking water.

It was not until about 1800 that umbrellas and parasols achieved separate identities in Britain. Since ancient times there have been umbrellas to keep off the sun, but the word umbrella had nothing to do with rain. It is derived from Latin ‘umbra’, meaning shade.

Until the early 1850s umbrellas had heavy whalebone frames which tended to crack. But then Samuel Fox came on the scene, and from his factory in Stockbridge, Sheffield, he revolutionised the umbrella world. In 1852, he patented a lightweight metal frame which was to make him a fortune and set the standard for umbrellas we know today.

The first umbrellas came to Britain from France but by the time of the battle of Waterloo in 1815 it was the French who were laughing at the British for using them. Napoleon’s General Lejeune was highly amused that English officers rode across the field of battle holding aloft umbrellas and parasols. It might have looked ridiculous, but the British won!

That was not the only instance of umbrellas being used by the British army. The British Major Digby Tatham-Warter, veteran of WWI, and a commander of a parachute brigade during WWII, always carried an umbrella into battle. This not only provided some British humour in otherwise very serious and frightening circumstances, but was even used by the brave major to fight the Germans. Once he disabled a German tank by pushing the umbrella through the observation slit and wounding the driver in the eye.

Some collectors believe that now is a perfect time to start collecting antique umbrellas and parasols, as they are reckoned to be underpriced, a situation which could easily change if more people got the idea of collecting them. Parasol styles seemed to change every few months in the 19th century, so there are plenty to choose from. Beautiful parasols made in Victorian times can be bought for as little as 30 to 100 pounds, but even a rare Georgian umbrella with carved ivory grip might be unlikely to exceed 500 pounds at an auction.

12.Drivers of Hackney carriages insulted people who were using umbrellas because

1) they wanted to sell umbrellas themselves.

2) they were trying to save their business.

3) the owners of umbrellas were French.

4) they didn't like what umbrellas looked like

13.The funny and clever features of the first umbrellas did NOT include the following:

1) making special noises

2) having transparent parts

3) being totally waterproof

4) having a container for a drink

14.Before 1800 the word ‘umbrella’ meant

1) the same as the word ‘parasol’.

2) nothing: it simply did not exist.

3) ‘a device protecting you from the rain’.

4) any kind of shade of any shape.

15.What did Samuel Fox do?

1) He replaced heavy whalebone with light metal.

2) He became rich having discovered light metals.

3) He wrote specifications for a quality umbrella.

4) He participated in the revolutionary movement.

16.The French were laughing at the British during the Battle of Waterloo because

1) the French were winning.

2) the British looked funny.

3) the British copied the French.

4) it was General Lejeune’s tactics.

17.Which statement is NOT true about Major Digby Tatham-Warter?

1) He had a British sense of humour.

2) He was a typical British eccentric.

3) He used an umbrella as a weapon.

4) He didn’t find war serious or scary.

18According to the author of the article, Victorian parasols are

1) now cheap to buy.

2) collectors' favourites.

3) not reliable enough.

4) not sold at auctions.

Вопросы 12-18

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

Ha, ha, ha! How they laughed that day in the 1790s when a man first walked the streets of London holding an umbrella.

Some people got angry and began shouting that to carry such a contraption was ungodly because it ‘defied the heavenly purpose of rain’ (which is to get uswet).

Drivers of Hackney carriages soon realised umbrellas posed a threat to their trade, and insulted chaps who carried them by yelling: ‘What’s wrong – are you a Frenchman?’ It was a grievous insult (and still is today), but the umbrella was not

to be denied.

Eton schoolboys took to carrying them, much to the annoyance of their headmaster, John Keats. “An effeminate innovation,” he thundered. “We are degenerating into a girl’s school.”

Early umbrellas were not impenetrable to rain. Their coverings of cotton, or even silk, were coated with oil, varnish or melted wax, which soon cracked. They featured all kinds of gimmicks. Some had windows, or whistled when open. There was an umbrella with a gutter, which drained rain down a tube. A variation on this caught rain in a flask for use as drinking water.

It was not until about 1800 that umbrellas and parasols achieved separate identities in Britain. Since ancient times there have been umbrellas to keep off the sun, but the word umbrella had nothing to do with rain. It is derived from Latin ‘umbra’, meaning shade.

Until the early 1850s umbrellas had heavy whalebone frames which tended to crack. But then Samuel Fox came on the scene, and from his factory in Stockbridge, Sheffield, he revolutionised the umbrella world. In 1852, he patented a lightweight metal frame which was to make him a fortune and set the standard for umbrellas we know today.

The first umbrellas came to Britain from France but by the time of the battle of Waterloo in 1815 it was the French who were laughing at the British for using them. Napoleon’s General Lejeune was highly amused that English officers rode across the field of battle holding aloft umbrellas and parasols. It might have looked ridiculous, but the British won!

That was not the only instance of umbrellas being used by the British army. The British Major Digby Tatham-Warter, veteran of WWI, and a commander of a parachute brigade during WWII, always carried an umbrella into battle. This not only provided some British humour in otherwise very serious and frightening circumstances, but was even used by the brave major to fight the Germans. Once he disabled a German tank by pushing the umbrella through the observation slit and wounding the driver in the eye.

Some collectors believe that now is a perfect time to start collecting antique umbrellas and parasols, as they are reckoned to be underpriced, a situation which could easily change if more people got the idea of collecting them. Parasol styles seemed to change every few months in the 19th century, so there are plenty to choose from. Beautiful parasols made in Victorian times can be bought for as little as 30 to 100 pounds, but even a rare Georgian umbrella with carved ivory grip might be unlikely to exceed 500 pounds at an auction.

12.Drivers of Hackney carriages insulted people who were using umbrellas because

1) they wanted to sell umbrellas themselves.

2) they were trying to save their business.

3) the owners of umbrellas were French.

4) they didn't like what umbrellas looked like

13.The funny and clever features of the first umbrellas did NOT include the following:

1) making special noises

2) having transparent parts

3) being totally waterproof

4) having a container for a drink

14.Before 1800 the word ‘umbrella’ meant

1) the same as the word ‘parasol’.

2) nothing: it simply did not exist.

3) ‘a device protecting you from the rain’.

4) any kind of shade of any shape.

15.What did Samuel Fox do?

1) He replaced heavy whalebone with light metal.

2) He became rich having discovered light metals.

3) He wrote specifications for a quality umbrella.

4) He participated in the revolutionary movement.

16.The French were laughing at the British during the Battle of Waterloo because

1) the French were winning.

2) the British looked funny.

3) the British copied the French.

4) it was General Lejeune’s tactics.

17.Which statement is NOT true about Major Digby Tatham-Warter?

1) He had a British sense of humour.

2) He was a typical British eccentric.

3) He used an umbrella as a weapon.

4) He didn’t find war serious or scary.

18According to the author of the article, Victorian parasols are

1) now cheap to buy.

2) collectors' favourites.

3) not reliable enough.

4) not sold at auctions.

Вопросы 12-18

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

Llandudno is truly a fine and handsome place, built on a generously proportioned bay and lined along its broad front with a huddle of prim but gracious nineteenth-century hotels that reminded me in the fading light of a lineup of Victorian nannies. Llandudno was purpose-built as a resort in the mid-1800s, and it cultivates a nice old-fashioned air. I don’t suppose that Lewis Carroll, who famously strolled this front with little Alice Liddell in the 1860s, would notice a great deal of change today.

To my consternation, the town was packed with weekending pensioners. Buses from all over were parked along the side streets, every hotel I called at was full, and in every dining room I could see crowds – veritable oceans – of nodding white heads spooning soup and conversing happily. Goodness knows what had brought them to the Welsh seaside at this bleak time of year.

Farther on along the front there stood a clutch of guesthouses, large and virtually indistinguishable, and a few of them had vacancy signs in their windows. I had eight or ten to choose from, which always puts me in a mild fret because I have an unerring instinct for choosing badly. My wife can survey a row of guesthouses and instantly identify the one run by a white-haired widow with a fondness for children, and sparkling bathroom facilities, whereas I can generally count on choosing the one run by a guy with a grasping manner, and the sort of cough that makes you wonder where he puts the phlegm. Such, I felt, would be the case tonight.

All the guesthouses had boards out front listing their many amenities – COLOUR TV, HOSPITALITY TRAYS, FULL CENTRAL HEATING, and the coyly euphemistic EN SUITE ALL ROOMS, meaning private bathrooms. One place offered satellite TV and a trouser press, and another boasted CURRENT FIRE CERTIFICATE – something I had never thought to look for in a B&B. All this heightened my sense of unease and doom. How could I possibly choose intelligently among such a variety of options?

I selected a place that looked reasonable enough from the outside – its board promised a color TV and coffee making facilities, about all I require these days for a Saturday night – but from the moment I set foot in the door I knew it was a bad choice. I was about to turn and flee when the owner emerged from a back room and stopped my retreat with an unenthusiastic “Yes?” A short conversation revealed that a single room with breakfast was for £19.50. It was entirely out of the question that I would stay the night in such a dismal place at such an exorbitant price, so I said, “That sounds fine,” and signed in. Well, it’s so hard to say no.

My room was everything I expected it to be – cold and cheerless with laminated furniture, grubbily matted carpet, and those mysterious ceiling stains that bring to mind a neglected corpse in the room above. There was a tray of coffee things but the cups were disgusting, and the spoon was stuck to the tray. The bathroom, faintly illuminated by a distant light activated by a length of string, had curling floor tiles and years of accumulated dirt packed into every corner. I peered at the yellowy tile around the bath and sink and realized what the landlord did with his phlegm. A bath was out of the question, so I threw some cold water on my face, dried it with a towel that had the texture of shredded wheat, and gladly took my leave.

12.Llandudno is described as a

1) fashionable 19th century resort.

2) beautiful growing resort.

3) place where Lewis Carroll lived.

4) place famous for its comfortable hotels.

13.The phrase “veritable oceans” in paragraph 2 refers to

1) hotel dining rooms.

2) hotel guests wearing white hats.

3) old people dining in cafes.

4) buses crowded with old Welsh people.

14.When choosing a guesthouse the narrator was worried because he

1) wasn’t good at making the right choice.

2) could not find a place run by a kind old widow.

3) did not know what to look for.

4) missed his wife for help.

15.The narrator thought that the choice of a guesthouse used to be easier because

1) all hotels had a private bathroom.

2) there were fewer options on offer.

3) there were fewer guest houses.

4) they were all of B&B type.

16.Why did the narrator agree to the room?

1) He felt sorry for the landlord.

2) He could not refuse the offer.

3) It was really cheap.

4) There was a TV and a coffee maker.

17.Why was the bath out of the question?

1) The water was too cold.

2) There was no hot water.

3) The bathtub was dirty.

4) There was no light.

18.What is the narrator’s attitude towards the room he stayed in?

1) Surprised.

2) Indifferent.

3) Positive.

4) Critical.

Вопрос 12-18

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12-18. В каждом задании выберите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, впишите её в соответствующее поле внизу страницы.

The human brain is selective about the things it pays attention to. Our senses are constantly attacked by smells, colours, tastes, and sounds, and much of that information has to be filtered out, so we can focus on the important things that can keep us alive. But humans aren't the only animals who need to focus on certain signals to stay alive, so what sets us apart?

As it turns out, when humans and macaques focus on the same task their brains work differently, a small study published recently shows. The finding reveals that the human attention network probably expanded over time. And that's a pretty important piece of our evolutionary puzzle – especially given how often scientists use the macaque brain to study our own.

During the test the humans and the monkeys had to memorise a picture, like a green car, for instance. Then, they were told to fixate on a point in the centre of a computer screen. As the monkeys and the humans stared at the point, a stream of images appeared in various parts of the screen at a rate of about 10 objects per second. The goal was to push a button whenever they saw the green car appear.

The data captured during the test showed that the region of the human brain that plays a key role in redirecting attention doesn't have an equivalent in the macaque brain. The researchers also found that some brain areas were more active in humans than in macaques during this task. Finally, there was more communication between the two brain hemispheres in humans compared with the macaques – a finding that researchers think was surprising.

The increased communication doesn't necessarily mean that the way the human brain operates is better, however. Sharing information with other parts of the brain may reduce the speed of certain processes in humans. If that's the case, it may mean that being able to react quickly to a predator's approach, for instance, matters more for macaques. Humans, on the other hand, may have traded speed for some kind of cognitive flexibility.

These differences point to a larger message: humans seem to have developed an additional attention control network over evolutionary time. Contrasting both brains as they perform the same tasks is a good way of reconstructing the evolutionary forces that lead to these differences.

Humans are much more complex in the way they interact socially, so they need a better ability to single out those subtle cues and use that information to guide their future decisions than a macaque would. It's therefore possible that this additional network is used to detect behavioural information that macaques don't need. The study didn't look at social behaviours, however.

The most exciting finding is the fact that there is a clear sign that the human brain has some unique properties that separate it from other primates.

Yet, some scientists claim that the findings can't really discredit the use of the macaque brain model. They believe that here is a wealth of evidence that the macaque is an excellent model for attention research in general. Others point out that the data isn't very detailed.

For the researchers the study shows that there are some aspects of human cognition that we’ll just have to study in humans, instead of monkeys. They hope that this work will push scientists to try to learn more about the macaque brain. Focusing on that could reveal much about what the human brain has done to adapt to its own environment during the past 25 million years.

12.The main object of the research was

1) the evolution of the human brain.

2) the comparison of human and primate brain.

3) the cues people pay attention to.

4) the human attention network.

13.During the test macaques and people did NOT have to

1) focus on the screen.

2) keep an image in memory.

3) fix an image on the screen.

4) identify an image.

14.The findings of the test revealed that

1) human and primate brains are similar.

2) parts of the human brain communicate faster.

3) the macaque brain can capture more data.

4) human communication is more intense.

15.According to the text increased communication may lead to

1) slower processes.

2) attention changes.

3) better reaction.

4) lack of focus.

16.The phrasal verb ‘traded for’ (‘…may have traded speed for) in Paragraph 5 probably means

1) transformed.

2) exchanged.

3) estimated.

4) changed.

17.According to the author, macaques did NOT develop an additional attention system because they

1) did not have behavioural information.

2) could not get subtle signals.

3) did not need behavioural information.

4) had no need to make decisions.

18.The researchers hope that the findings of the study may help to

1) change human brain research methods.

2) discover facts about human behaviour.

3) study environments for brain development.

4) study human adaptation processes.