TEXT 1
PEACE AND SILENCE
PEACE AND SILENCE
Visitors who leave behind the city centre of Charleston, South Carolina, and drive only 30 miles south, may come upon the monastery of Our Lady of Mepkin. Twenty-eight monks live at Mepkin Abbey, following the same routine established in France 900 years ago: praying, reading the Bible, and working.
Monasteries and spiritual centres throughout the United States find that demand for temporary accommodation is increasing. More and more visitors come to this peaceful abbey every day, men and women who are tired of the fast pace of life and work in 21st-century America. These people usually stay in the abbey between one and six days. “Most come for the silence,” explains one of the monks. They pray with the monks (attending the first service of the day, at 3.20 in the morning, if they wish), observe the same silence as the monks, eat the same vegetarian food. The abbey’s guest rooms, most with private baths, are full much of the time, and rooms for the weekend are booked for the next six months. The monks hope that their visitors will “find peace, joy and perspective on life.”
(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points) |
a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (1 point per answer)
1) Why have monasteries and spiritual centres become popular in the USA?
2) What is it that visitors find most appealing in monasteries?
b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) Mepkin Abbey was founded in France 900 years ago.
4) Visitors have to wake up at 3.20 in the morning.
5) All guests have to do some work in the Abbey to pay for their accommodation.
6) It is difficult to get a room at Mepkin Abbey.
(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points) |
7) Find in the text the word which has the following definition: (0.25 points)
“sequence of actions regularly followed” (noun)
8) Give one synonym for “PEACEFUL” (line 5). (0.25 points)
9) Turn the following sentence into the passive voice. (0.5 points)
Visitors find peace and joy at the monastery.
10) Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT). Make changes if necessary. (0.5 points)
Lindsay is the eldest child. She has to look after the other children.
11) Fill in the gap with a correct preposition. (0.5 points)
My friend insisted __________ paying the bill.
12) Give a question for the underlined words. (0.5 points)
This dictionary cost fifty dollars ten years ago.
13) Complete the following sentence: (0.5 points)
If the visitors wish…
(C) PRODUCTION (3 points) |
14) WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.
a) Would you stay for a month in a monastery? Why?
b) Spiritual life today.
TEXT 2
PIE IN THE SKY
It is not clear precisely why, with the whole galaxy at their disposal, extra-terrestrials should wish to visit Hereford. But if local reports are to be believed, the town and surrounding countryside have lately become a magnet for alien visitors. Over the past few months there have been a series of sightings of UFOs in the area, and witnesses’ reports coincide on the appearance of the flying saucers. “It was a big ball of very bright light,” said one woman; “I thought I could see figures with big ears inside it, but to be honest it was moving so fast I couldn’t be sure.”
People have been seeing strange objects in the sky around Hereford for almost two decades now, but never as many as now. “We’re getting three or four sightings a week at the moment,” said one local UFO enthusiast. “I’ve never known anything like it.”
Nobody knows why aliens should be interested in Hereford, although one local butcher has a theory. “It’s our pies,” he explained. “They have the sort of delicate crust and meat filling you just don’t get anywhere else in the universe.”
(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points) |
a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (1 point per answer)
1) Is Hereford a new destination for UFOs? Why?
2) Is the butcher’s theory believable? Why?
b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) People in Hereford have been seeing many UFOs in the last few months.
4) Witnesses do not agree on what they saw.
5) One witness saw figures inside the UFO.
6) According to the butcher, the aliens come to Hereford to eat meat pies.
(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points) |
7) Find in the text one opposite of DISAGREE (verb) and one synonym of SOFT (adjective). (0.5 points)
8) Give one noun with the same root as BRIGHT (adjective) and one noun with the same root as REPORT (verb). (0.5 points)
9)Turn the following sentences into reported speech. (1 point)
The UFO enthusiast explained: “I’ve never known anything like it.”
The butcher exclaimed: “You can’t get these pies anywhere else in the universe!”
10) Fill in the gap with a correct preposition. (0.5 points)
The Martians climbed ___________ the UFO, closed the door, and flew away.
11) Give a question for the underlined words. (0.5 points)
People have been seeing strange objects in the sky for centuries.
(C) PRODUCTION (3 points) |
12) WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.
a) Is there life in outer space? Why?
b) Do you like science fiction films? Why?
