Контрольна робота з читання (Семестровий контроль)

READING TEST FOR 10^TH FORM ( Variant 1)

Task 1. Read the text below. Match choices (A-F) to (1-6).

First newspapers were nothing like our papers today. They were more like letters containing news. In the fifth century BC, there were men in Rome who wrote these news letters and sent them to people who lived far away from the capital.

Something more like our papers was started by Julius Caesar in 60 BC. His government published a daily bulletin devoted mostly to government announcements; it was called Acta Diurna, which meant “Daily Happenings.”         

In the sixteenth century Venice people paid a fee of one gazeta to read notices that were issued by the government every day. These were called Notizie Scritte (“Written News”).

The first regular newspaper established in London was the “Intelligencer” in 1663. At that time papers were mostly published only once a week, because their production was slow.

The first American newspaper, “Public Occurrences”, was started in Boston in 1690, but the governor of the colony quickly stopped it. Benjamin Franklin headed the “Pennsylvania Gazzette” from 1729 to 1765. The people were so eager to have newspapers that by the time of the American Revolution there were 37 of them in the Colonies.

1. The first regular newspapers …
2. Venice people …
3. In the period of American Revolution …
4. Acta Diurna…
5. In the fifth century BC …
6. In the “Written News” …

1. … there were men who wrote news letters.
2. … paid a fee to read Notizie Scritte.
3. … people could read notices issued by the government every day.
4. … was published to tell about government announcements.
5. … were published very slow.
6. … people had more than 30 newspapers in the Colonies.

Task 2. Read the text below. For statements (7-12) choose T if the statement is true according to the text, or F if it is false.

Marie Curie and Radium

A French physicist, Henri Becquerel discovered that a metal called uranium gave off a kind of radiation, which later Marie Curie called radioactivity. But where did this radiation come from and what was it like? She made experiments to discover that secret of nature. There was failure, success, more failure, a little success, a little more success. Marie wrote: “Life is not easy for any of us. We must work, and above all we must believe in ourselves.”

At this time her husband Piere Curie left his own successful laboratory work and joined her in the search of this unknown radiation. In 1898 they declared that there was something in nature, still unseen, which gave out radioactivity and was named radium. The scientists of those days were very polite to them, but still their common thought was: “Show us some radium, and we will believe you.”

And the Curies tried to do their best to reach success. Though they had four difficult years in the work, that period was the happiest in their lives. One evening in 1902 they came into their laboratory again and saw faint blue light in the glass test-tubes on the tables, which was so hard to find: Radium.

(7) Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity.

(8) The discovery of radium was not an easy thing for Marie Curie.

(9) Piere Curie decided not to work with his wife because he couldn’t do anything in science   by himself.

(10) The name ‘radium’ appeared in 1898.

(11) The Curies decided to show other scientists some radium, but they didn’t believe them.

(12) The period of “radium work” was the happiest part of the Curies’ life.

Task 3. Read the text below. For questions (13-18) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Family of languages

At one time, at the beginning of history, people probably spoke the same language. As time went on, this parent language (some think that there were several parent languages) spread and changed. At first, the parent languages were spoken by small groups of people. By and by, these groups grew in numbers and there wasn’t enough food for all of them, so people began to move to other places. When these tribes arrived at a new place, they spoke almost the same language as before   but as the time passed people began to say things a little differently. Some words that were needed in the old home were no longer needed in the new place and were dropped. New words were made to describe new experiences. Ways of making sentences changed too. And suppose the people had settled in a place where others were already living. Then the two languages blended, and both of the languages changed. At first, the speech of the new people had changed only a little from the original language.

After a long time, when there were many changes in words, sounds, and grammar, it could be considered a new language. In just these ways, Spanish, French and Portuguese developed from Latin; and English, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and Dutch grew from an early form of the old Germanic language (s). The ancestor language, together with all the languages which developed from it, is called “a family” of languages.

(13) What is the text about?

      (A) Parents and their children.

      (B) Languages nowadays.

      (C) Parents and languages.

      (D) Development of languages.

(14) Why did people begin to move to new places?

      (A) Because parent languages changed.

      (B) Because they didn’t have enough to eat.

      (C) Because languages grew in numbers.

      (D) Because they lived in small groups.

(15) How did people’s language change at a new place?

      (A) The ways of making words changed.

      (B) They started to use a new language, not their own one.

      (C) Some old words were not used any more.

      (D) They needed a new language because they were at a new place.

(16) What is “a family” of languages?

      (A) The early forms of old Germanic languages.

      (B) All the languages which developed from the ancestor language.

      (C) All the languages which developed from the ancestor language and the ancestor language itself.

      (D) Spanish, French and Portuguese.

(17) When the two languages blended…

      (A) … ancestor languages changed.

      (B) …the speech of the new people changed.

      (C) … nothing appeared.

      (D) … both languages changed.

(18) What did English grow from?

     (A) Early form of the old German languages.

     (B) Spanish.

     (C) A family of languages.

     (D) New places.

Task 4. Imagine that you have the chance to put several questions to Marie Curie. Make up 6 special questions.

READING TEST FOR 10^TH FORM ( Variant 2)

Task 1. Read the parts of the text and put them into the correct order.

...  (A) When they reached the court, Lord Enibi and Judge Cadi were already there, talking and laughing together. As soon as the judge saw the poor man, he shouted angrily, “You should be ashamed of yourself! You have filled yourself up with the smells from Lord Enibi’s restaurant. But you haven’t paid him a penny. Pay him at once, do you hear!”

… (B) The poor man sighed. “Life is hard for people as poor as I am. Yesterday I was passing the restaurant owned by Lord Enibi. I stopped for a moment because the food smelled so nice. Lord Enibi ran out of the restaurant and said he had caught me swallowing the smell of his food”.

… (C) In the north of China there lived` Effendi Nasreddin. He was the cleverest man for miles around and many people came to ask for his advice. Once a poor man came to see him for just this reason. He bowed very low and said: “I have a great favour to ask of you.” “I shall be delighted if I can be of help to you. So tell me what I can do,” replied the Effendi.

… (D) “Can you hear the money rattling, my lord?” said the Effendi. “Don’t be silly! I’m not deaf, of course I can hear it,” replied Lord Enibi crossly. “Excellent. I’m so glad that it settled. My brother smelled your food cooking and now you have heard his money jingling. So that puts things straight between you.” And with that, Effendi Nasreddin turned on his heel and gave the poor man his arm. Together they walked out of the court.

… (E) The Effendi stepped forward and bowed the deepest of bows. “It so happens that this poor man is my younger brother. He hasn’t a cent, so I’ve come along to settle his debt.” Then he took the purse that hung on his belt, held it up to Lord Enibi’s ear and shook it till all the coins jingled inside.

… (F) “He handed me a bill, but I hadn’t a single penny to pay him. So he took me to Judge Cadi. The judge is going to pass the sentence today. Could you possibly come to the court with me and say something in my defence?”

(1) _____   (2) _____   (3) _____   (4) _____ (5) _____ (6) _____

Task 2 a. For statements (7 -9) choose T if the statement is true according to the text, or F if it is false.

(7) Many people came to ask for Nasreddin’s advice because he was the cleverest man in the world.

(8) Lord Enibi took the poor man to Judge Cadi because he didn’t have money to pay for the thing Enibi asked.

(9) Judge Cadi supported Lord Enibi according to the laws they had in their country.

Task 2 b. For sentences (10 - 12) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

 (10) Judge Cadi told the poor man to …

      (A) … smell food.

      (B) … pay Lord Enibi at once.

      (C) … fill himself up with the smell of food.

      (D) … be ashamed of themselves.

 (11) Effendi took his purse that hung on his belt and …     (12) In the court Lord Enibi …

      (A) … bowed the deepest of bows.                                      (A) … was deaf.  

      (B) … shook his head.                                                          (B) …could hear money rattling.

      (C) … jingled the coins inside.                                             (C) … could rattle his money.

      (D) … stepped back.                                                             (D) …could understand the deaf.

 Task 3. Answer the following questions.

(13) Why did Effendi Nasreddin decide to help the poor man?

(14) What did the poor man do in front of Lord Enibi’s restaurant?

(15) How did Effendi Nasreddin settle his debt?

(16) Why did the poor man want Effendi to come to the court with him?

(17) What did Effendi do to the purse on his belt?

(18) How was Lord Enibi punished?

Task 4. Imagine that you are Effendi Nasreddin and write about the story which happened to you and the poor man from the first person in 6 sentences.

READING TEST. KEYS (Variant 1)

1E   2B   3F   4D   5A   6C   7F   8T   9F   10T   11F   12T   13D   14B   15C   16C   17D   18A

Кожна правильна відповідь з 1 по 18 завдання оцінюється в 0,5 бала. Правильне виконання  Task 4 оцінюється в 3 бали.   

READING TEST. KEYS (Variant 2)

1C   2B   3F   4A   5E   6D   7F   8T   9F   10B   11C   12B

Кожна правильна відповідь з 1 по 18 завдання оцінюється в 0,5 бала. Правильне виконання  Task 4 оцінюється в 3 бали.