Государственное образовательное учреждение дополнительного образования детей

«Псковский областной центр развития одарённых детей и юношества»

Работа по английскому языку №1

11 класс

  1. Read the letter. For questions 1-5 choose the correct answer.

106 SussexGardens

LondonW2 1UH

26 July

Dear Julia,

Many thanks for your letter, and I’m glad to hear you are coming to England soon. It will certainly be good for you. I am leaving for Russia shortly, as you know, so in this letter I’ll give you a few tips how to avoid making the mistakes I made.

Now, you’ll be coming to brush up your English, so you’ll want to make as much conversation as possible. Whatever you do, don’t stay in places full of overseas students, especially if they come from our country. This is fatal. Don’t believe all the stories you hear about how unfriendly the English are. In trains or cafes, for example, or anywhere, really, they will talk to you, but you must “break the ice” first. Then see them talk! Any subject will do – the weather, their dogs, the Common Market, food. Pardon me, not any subject. Don’t criticise their private life. Don’t ask them how much money they earn. This would be considered extremely rude in Britain, unless you know the person very well. It is also not appropriate to ask about their age or how much they weigh. Avoid religious questions too. They don’t like talking about politics except in a general way, and you should avoid asking them what political party they vote for. People in Britain are generally quite careful about time. Try to be punctual too.

Now, Julia, pay attention! The English like to queue. My God! They queue everywhere, for the bus, at the cinema, in shops, everywhere. I simply must tell you what happened to me when I first arrived. I had to catch a bus. I saw it coming. I ran and hopped on. The conductor, looking angrily at me, told me to get off. He said I had jumped the queue. I scratched my head, and it took me quite a time to realise what the matter was. I got off, anyway, and got angry looks from people waiting. My face was red! Julia, never jump the queue. Anyway, always use the Tube for getting about. It’s much faster. You’ll find it very handy indeed.

Now tipping. This is something of a problem, especially when eating out. Some restaurants put 10 per cent on the bill, others don’t. if they do, it is usually written on the menu, at the bottom. For heaven’s sake, do check it, or sometimes you will walk out leaving long-faces waiters behind you. Tip taxi-drivers and a hairdresser, but don’t tip the barman. Give a little more than 10 per cent if the bill is small. Don’t just leave a few coppers.

As for clothes, you can wear what you like, except your “birthday suit”. Never trust the weather. Don’t bring loads of clothes with you. The shops are full of attractive things to wear at reasonable prices. Besides, there are sales on. But remember! It is not acceptable in Britain to bargain in shops. You may laugh at some of the outfits people wear. Nobody minds what he or she has on. They seem to care about clothes only if they have an invitation to BuckinghamPalace.

That’s another thing. “Keep your distance” when you speak to a person. The British don’t tend to stand close to you when they speak to you.

I won’t go into the sights. You’ll have plenty of time for this yourself.

Well, Julia, I’m sure, you’ll have a good time here, and I hope these few “dos and donts” will be helpful.

All the best,

Sophia

According to the letter, which of the following is true?

  1. Sophia is giving Julia information …
  1. because she asked her for it.
  2. so that she won’t bargain and jump the queue.
  3. so that she won’t waste money.
  4. because she won’t be in London to help her.
  1. The English …
  1. don’t like noisy people.
  2. are unfriendly.
  3. worship their privacy.
  4. expect you to wear a birthday suit if you are invited to a party.
  1. When Sophia first arrived …
  1. she had a quarrel with a conductor.
  2. she jumped the queue.
  3. she queued everywhere.
  4. she was not punctual.
  1. Tipping is a problem because …
  1. not all restaurants add a service charge.
  2. the waiters don’t like bad tippers.
  3. service charges vary.
  4. 10 per cent is too much.
  1. As for clothes ..
  1. it is too expensive in Britain.
  2. you will “die laughing” at the way the English dress.
  3. when there are sales, the English buy attractive things to wear.
  4. the English don’t care if you wear anything or not.

Match the words with their meanings.

  1. queue up a) negotiate a price at which something is to be bought
  2. jump the queue b) respect
  3. bargain c) wait in line
  4. worship d) push your way into a line of other people
  5. charge e) a monetary obligation, tax
  1. Vocabulary. Choose the best answer.
  1. The TV programme gave viewers a very good ______of life in this country.
  1. feeling
  2. notion
  3. reaction
  4. impression
  1. Some people find it more difficult to ______their feelings by telephone rather than in writing.
  1. pronounce
  2. propose
  3. express
  4. expose
  1. The speaker ______that children would rather read than watch TV or play computer games.
  1. told
  2. maintained
  3. discussed
  4. proposed
  1. Anna was chosen to ______her school at the national youth festival.
  1. represent
  2. expose
  3. substitute
  4. display
  1. The principle of free medical care for everyone was ______in Britain in 1948.
  1. formed
  2. installed
  3. established
  4. settled
  1. They arrived ______at six o’clock.
  1. timely
  2. punctually
  3. accurately
  4. directly
  1. I think you had ______go now or you’ll be late.
  1. must
  2. rather
  3. prefer
  4. better
  1. I’ve never been very ______on Biology.
  1. keen
  2. fond
  3. pleased
  4. happy
  1. When he rang, I was just ______to the news on the radio.
  1. catching
  2. listening
  3. hearing
  4. attending
  1. If you ______the queue, people will get very angry with you.
  1. pass
  2. rush
  3. push
  4. jump
  1. Use of English. Read the text. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form an appropriate word for the same line.

ENGLISH HABITS

In a nation of many millions of people, there are many (1)______kinds: good and bad, honest and
(2)______, happy and unhappy.
British (3)______, who live in other countries, are not fully (4)______of their nation. As usual, they live a
(5)______different life from the life in Britain. However, we can talk about some (6)______things. One (7)______quality of the English, for example, is their reserved manner. A (8)______person is the one who does not talk very much to strangers, does not show emotions. He / she never tells you (9)______about him / herself. If English people are (10)______a journey by train, they will try to find an empty compartment. If they have to share the compartment with a stranger, they may travel without (11)______a conversation. If a conversation does start, (12)______questions like “How old are you?” or even “What is your name?” are not (13)______asked. It is
(14)______to ask questions like “Where did you buy your watch?” or “What is your salary?” But people of the North or the West of Britain, and (15)______the Welsh, are less reserved than those of the South and the East. / DIFFER
HONEST
PERSON
TYPE
COMPLETE
GENERALLY
KNOWN
RESERVE
ANY
MAKE
START
PERSON
EASY
POLITE
SPECIAL
  1. Phrasal Verbs. Match the phrasal verbs with their meanings.
  1. put up with a) have a friendly relationship with somebody
  2. go out with b) bear, tolerate
  3. get on with c) spend time with somebody
  4. run out of d) want something to happen
  5. look forward to e) have no more of something left
  6. do away with f) reduce
  7. cut back on g) get rid of
  1. Write an essay on the topic:

Fast food is very popular and saves time for busy working people. However, many experts say that it is not completely healthy.