TEST / THE 9-TH FORM / FAMOUS PEOPLE OF GREAT BRITAIN. MY FUTURE PLANS. JOBS. SCIENCE.

Read the text.

These days any teenager is usually thinking about taking his school exams and deciding on what subjects to study. He might be considering what job to choose for the future life. He's probably wondering what his first salary will be and how soon it will be before he earns enough to buy a car or rent a flat. Not Nick D’Alosio.

Nick, from London, recently became a millionaire – not through playing the lottery, but by designing and developing a phone application which he then sold to Yahoo for €18m! Nick's experience is the perfect example of how a dream can become a reality. As a child Nick had always been technical and talented. At the age of nine he was editing videos and making 3-D models on his computer. Then at 12, he taught himself basic programming to be able to create apps. From his first app, launched when he was still twelve, he earned €79 on its first day and this encouraged him to go on to produce another and another. It was a great hobby. But for Nick, it was still just that – a hobby. He went to school, went to parties and played sports just like all the other kids. No one knew that in his bedroom he was designing things that would soon completely change his life!

A few years later, at fifteen, Nick had the idea for an app that could summarise news stories, which he called Summly. He wanted young people to get brief information about news stories, which would let them decide whether they wanted to read the full versions or not, something that no other app could do. The app immediately became popular and attracted investment from a big company. Then the Internet giant, Yahoo, became interested and not only bought the app, but hired its clever, talented young inventor, too.

So what does the future hold for Nick? He plans to return to education to take his A levels and later he wants to take a degree. Most of all, he wants to start up new businesses and continue developing his own ideas. Whatever happens, Nick's future working life will certainly not be the normal 9-5 routine that most of us have to look forward to!

launch – запускати у виробництво, починати виробляти

hire – наймати на роботу

TASK I. Choose the best title for the article. (2 points)

TASK II. Read the text and choose the answer (A, B or C) which you think fits best according to the text. (8х1 point each)

1. These days schoolchildren are usually thinking about …

2. What is true of most young people?

3. Nick is from …

4. Nick learned how to create apps …

5. At the age of twelve, he was taught basic programming …

6. At first producing new apps was just a … for Nick.

7. Nick developed his famous app because …

8. A few years later, at fifteen, Nick had the idea for an app that could summarise …

TASK III. Decide if these statements are true or false. (8х1 points each)

1.    Recently Nick became a millionaire due to the lottery.

2. At the age of 12 the boy was editing videos on his computer.

3. A teenager created a phone application that he then sold to Yahoo for €18m.

4. From his first app, produced when he was still twelve, he earned €79 on its first day.

5. Nick didn’t go to school or parties like other children because he was designing new things in his bedroom at that time.

6. The new app, that gave brief information about different pieces of news, was successful at once.

7.  Summly attracted investment from a big company.

8. The Internet giant, Yahoo, wasn’t interested in such a talented young inventor and only bought the app.

TASK IV. Work with questions. (6х1 point each)

Choose the proper answer.

1.    Nick D’Alosio was really a self-made millionaire, wasn’t he? 

Choose the proper answer.

2. Did he work for Yahoo or Summly?

Complete the question.

3. How ____ ____ ____ his future life?

Complete the question.

4. ___ Nick ___ young people to get brief information about news stories?

Choose the question that fits best to the following answer.

5. It's the normal 9-5 routine.

Put the question to the underlined words.

6. No one knew that in his bedroom he was designing things that would soon completely change his life!