Read the text and match the headings (A-E) with the paragraphs (1-5).

 A A new pair of ears

 B  An author and researcher

 C  Electronic immortality

 D  Computers that speak

 E  A new pair of eyes

1 ____

 Medical scientists are already putting computer chips directly into the brain to help people who have Parkinson’s disease, but in what other ways might computer technology be able to help us? Ray Kurzweil is the author of the successful book The Age of Intelligent Machines and is one of the world’s best computer research scientists. He is researching the possibilities.

 

2 ____

 Kurzweil gets computers to recognize voices. An example of this is Ramona, the virtual hostess of Kurzweil’s homepage, who is programmed to understand what you say. Visitors to the site can have their own conversations with her, and Ramona also dances and sings.

 

3 ____

 Kurzweil uses this technology to help people with physical disabilities. One of his ideas is a ‘seeing machine’ . This will be ‘like a friend that could describe what is going on in the visible world’, he explains. Blind people will use a visual sensor which will probably be built into a pair of sunglasses. This sensor will describe to the person everything it sees.

 

4 ____

 Another idea, which is likely to help deaf people, is the ‘listening machine’. This invention will recognize millions of words and understand any speaker. The listening machine will also be able to translate into other languages, so even people without hearing problems are likely to be interested in using it.

 

5 ____

 But it is not just about helping people with disabilities. Looking further into the future, Kurzweil sees a time, when we will be able to download our entire consciousness onto a computer. This technology probably won’t be ready for at least 50 years, but when it arrives, it means our minds will be able to live forever.

Use of English

Choose the correct item.

1. … best friend, Sunny, wants to be a doctor when … grows up.

A) I; himself B) My; him C) My; he D) Mine; his

2. The cat is sleeping in … basket, which was bought by … .

A) she; us B) his; our C) her; them D) its; me

3. Is this … handkerchief?—It certainly is not … .

A) your; mine B) his; ours C) your; your D) my; their

4. Olena Petrivna is … class teacher. … is 29 years old.

A) our; He B) our; She C) we; Her D) us; She

5. … cat gave birth to some kittens. … are so adorable.

A) Her; We B) My; She C) My; They D) Your; He

6. … seems so miserable. Nobody looks after … .

A) He; himself B) He; his  C) He; him D) He; himselves

 

Writing

You want to invite your friend to the theatre. Write a note ( not less than 35 words) to him/her. Include this information:

· invite your friend to the theatre;

· say when and where you will meet;

· tell him/her what play you are going to see.

 

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Examination card N 5

 

Reading

Read the article and choose the correct item (A-D) to complete the sentences (1-5).

He is building a small house in the backyard for when their baby is old enough to use it as a fort or club-house or getaway, and he wants to have three walls up before his wife gets home. She is at her mother’s house because her mother has slipped on the ice - a skating party, Christmas-themed - and needs help with preparations for her holiday party, planned before the accident. It’s snowing lightly, and the air is cold enough to see. He is working on the small house with a new drill he’s bought that day. It’s a portable drill, and he marvels at its efficiency. He wants to prove something to his wife, because he doesn’t build things like this often, and she has implied that she likes it when he does build things, and when he goes biking or plays rugby in the men’s league. She was impressed when he assembled a telescope, a birthday gift, in two hours, when the manual had said it would take four. So when she’s gone during this day, and the air is gray and dense and the snow falls like ash, he works quickly, trying to get the foundation done. Once he’s finished with the foundation, he decides that to impress her - and he wants to impress her in some way every day and wants always to want to impress her - he will need at least three walls up on the house by the time she gets home.

 

Taken from “On Wanting to Have Three Walls up Before She Gets Home”

                              by Dave Eggers, The Guardian, 2004

1. The purpose of the small house is to ...

  A) allow the man a fort to escape to.

B) appease the man’s wife who is forcing him to build it.

C) provide a clubhouse for the man’s child.

  D) make the man’s wife happy.

2. His wife likes it when he does all of the following EXCEPT ...

A) building things.        C) biking.

B) skating.                   D) assembling telescopes.

3. From the text, we can infer that ‘to marvel’ is to ...

A) admire.              C) examine.  

B) question.             D) use.

4. He wants to build the small house quickly because ...

A) he must build it as quickly as he built the telescope.

  B) he told his wife he would complete it while she helped her mother.

C) he wants to impress his wife.

D) he wants to finish it before the weather gets worse.

5. We can assume that ...

  A) the husband and wife are competitive.

  B) the husband and wife like to spend time apart.

C) the wife thinks the husband is fat.

D) the husband and wife like to do things for each other.

 

 

Use of English

Choose the correct item.

1. … bicycle is over there?

A) Who B) Who’s C) Whose D) Which

2. Does Mary have … money to buy a car?

A) too much B) very much C) enough D) little

3. Would you like a … sandwich?

A) bread B) sandwich C) cheese D) soup

4. My sister and her boyfriend are getting … next year.

A) marry B) marries C) marrying D) married

5. We moved to our flat … year.

A) ago B) behind C) last D) passed

6. Have you done your homework …?

A) yet B) still C) ever D) only

 

Writing

 Write an e-mail ( not less than 35 words) to your friend. Invite him/her to do some sports at the weekend. Write about:

· the activity you are doing;

· the place where you are meeting;

· the day and time when you are meeting.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Examination card N 6

I. Reading

Read the text and choose the best answer (A-D) to answer the questions (1-5).

 

Americans often express a great love of informality when using nicknames. These are shortened forms of their given name at birth and reflect the casual relationships which exist among friends and co-workers. Family names are hardly ever used in daily situations and the use of one’s father’s last name is saved only for rare and formal occasions. In many traditional cultures the use of the family name is seen as a sign of respect. For Americans, however, it’s the nickname which creates an immediate intimacy between two people upon which to build a relationship.

  This love for nicknames can create a sense of closeness between people who are otherwise not related. Even the presidents of the United States have borne nicknames. Abraham Lincoln was known as “Honest Abe”, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was simply called FDR, Eisenhower was referred to informally as Ike, President Ronald Reagan was affectionately called “The Gipper” , and John F. Kennedy was known as Jack or JFK.

Not every nickname, however, is a compliment and some can be downright rude and insulting. If someone should demonstrate a certain negative characteristic, a label will soon be attached to describe that person in a non-flattering¹ way. Likewise a person’s dominant physical traits may lead to nicknames that are not necessarily to one’s liking or choice.

 

                   Taken from “Nicknames” from Nada’s ESL Island

________________________

¹ non –flattering—неулесливий, непідлесливий

 

⇐ Предыдущая12345678910Следующая ⇒

Поделиться: