B. Has technology ruined children

A. It has the greatest collection of European paintings in the world.

B. It exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times from around the world.

C. It is home to a permanent dinosaur exhibition.

D. It has one of the largest collections of arts and crafts including furniture, jewelry, ceramics and textiles.

1.7. What is the traditional Christmas desert in Britain?

A. Christmas pudding	B. Apple pie
C. Carrot cake	D. Cherries jubilee

1.8. What is the name of the red cross on the flag of England?

A. St Andrew’s Cross	B. St George’s Cross
C. St Patrick’s Cross	D. The Union Jack

1.9. What is a special day in England set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts?

A. Victory Day	B. The Day of Peace
C. Eternal Light Day	D. Remembrance Day

1.10. What historical event gave rise to the Bonfire Night?

A. Bishops’ Wars	B. The Gunpowder Plot
C. The Battle of Hastings	D. The Battle of Trafalgar

Ø Конкурс на знание фонетики и орфографии

Напишите слово по транскрипции в соответствии с британским вариантом правописания.

1.11. [ˌentə'teɪnmənt]   

1.12. ['fiːʧə]

1.13. ['leɪblɪŋ]

1.14. ['mɔdənaɪz]

1.15. ['sentə]

1.16. [wɪð'drɔː]

 

entertainment

feature

labelling / labeling

modernise /-ze

centre / -er

withdraw

Прочитайте предложение (микроконтекст), заполните пропуски, выбрав один из предложенных вариантов ответа.

1.17. It’s a tsar’s …

A. throne	B. trone
C. thron	D. throun

1.18. She ​blushed with …

A. embarrasment	B. embarrassment
C. embarassment	D. embarrassement

1.19. How rude! He didn’t even …

A. knok	B. nock
C. knock	D. nok

1.20. I … ​dropped the vase.

A. accidentally	B. accidentelly
C. accidentaly	D. acidentally

 

Read the texts and do the tasks after each of them.

Текст № 1

Many students report that they often feel bored by studying. (№1) This is not surprising when you consider how some students study. (№2) Many teachers find worrying that a majority of students listen to music at the same time as studying. (№3)

However, what experts say about this issue is rather confusing. (№4) Some people study more effectively when they are relaxed, and listening to music may help. (№5) Students who are worried by the pressure of school may find that they are in a better mood if their music is playing. (№6) When they become more interested in what they are studying, they do not in fact “listen” to the music at all. (№7) It just becomes background noise. (№8)

On the other hand, there are certainly students who find the music more entertaining than their school work, and never really concentrate on their work at all. (№9) So perhaps we should not be surprised to discover that listening to music helps some but not all. (№10)

Music psychology researchers point out that music affects studies, and its influence depends on the type of music and sound volume. (№11) It was noticed that rap and hip-hop negatively affected GPA(Grade Point Average) while classical and easy listening positively affected GPA. (№12) This is consistent with the idea that vocal content in music is a distractor due to its natural attention-grabbing nature. (№13) We are more reactive to vocal sounds than non-vocal sounds. (№14) What is more, high loudness of music may be detrimental. (№15)

In addition, it depends on what students are supposed to be studying. (№16) Anyone who listens to music while trying to read and remember details will almost certainly be distracted by the music. (№17)

In the end, perhaps it is a matter of “what works for you”. (№18)

 

2.1. Choose an appropriate headline for this article:

A. MUSIC WHILE STUDYING – GOOD OR BAD?

B. MUSIC AS A SOURCE OF ENTERTAINMENT

C. MUSIC AGAINST BOREDOM

2.2. Choose the section of a newspaper/magazine where you could find this article.

A. Society

B. Entertainment

C. Education

2.3. Choose FIVE key words or expressions which could be used as hashtags while searching for the article online. Arrange your answers in alphabetical order.

A. Rap and hip-hop C. Feel bored by studying E. Attention-grabbing nature G. Listening to music

B. Study more effectively D. Type of music F. Vocal content in music H. Remember details

2.4. True or false? Choose the correct variant and enter the sentence(s) which confirm(s) your choice.

Songs attract more attention than music without words.

A. True

B. False

C. Justification: sentence(s) №№ 13 & 14.

2.5. True or false? Choose the correct variant and enter the sentence(s) which confirm(s) your choice.

Some types of music are harmful for studying.

A. True

B. False

C. Justification: sentence № 12

2.6. Give proof of the following using a sentence/sentences from the text: Many teachers find worrying that a majority of students listen to music at the same time as studying.

(Listening to music) (some) students never really concentrate on their work. / Students may be distracted by (the) music. / Some students find the music more entertaining than their school work. / Some types of music negatively affected GPA.

Find equivalents from the text you have read to the words below:

2.7. To find out, to learn = discover

2.8. Most of the people or things in a group = majority

2.9. Harmful = detrimental

2.10. Complicated, not easy to understand or explain = confusing

Find examples of some grammatical forms from the text you have read:

2.11. Adjective in Comparative Degree = better / more interested (in) / more entertaining / more reactive

2.12. Modal Verb = may / should (not)

2.13. Compound Adjective formed with Participle I = attention-grabbing

2.14. Indefinite Pronoun =   anyone / some / one

Текст № 2

Today, parents are increasingly worried about the safety of their children, and because of this, they are not letting their children out to play. (№1) As a result, children are no longer playing outside but shutting themselves away in their rooms and losing themselves in individualistic activities such as television viewing and computer games. (№2)

British teenagers have always retreated to their bedrooms, leaving the younger children to play in communal spaces such as the sitting room, garden or kitchen. (№3) However, children from the age of nine are now turning to their bedrooms as a place to socialise. (№4)

As a result of the bedroom culture, it is becoming rarer for children over the age of ten to watch television with their parents. (№5) Once in their rooms, children tend to stay up watching television for as long as they wish. (№6) Consequently, it is getting harder to control children’s viewing. (№7)

On average children devote five hours a day to screen media. (№8) Even so, only one child in one hundred can be classed as a real screen addict, a child who spends a worrying seven hours or more watching TV or playing computer games. (№9)

As the use of PCs proliferates, reading skills are expected to suffer. (№10) Nevertheless, 57% of children say they still enjoy reading, and one in five teenagers can be classed as a book-lover. (№11)

Although children generally have a few favourite programmes, they mostly use television to kill time when they are bored and have nothing special to do. (№12) Moreover, the distinction between individualistic media use and social activities such as chatting with friends is less extreme than is commonly assumed. (№13) Children gossip about television soap characters, make contact with other children on the Internet, and visit friends to admire their new computer games. (№14)

 

 

2.15. Choose an appropriate headline for this article:

A. REAL SCREEN ADDICTS

B. HAS TECHNOLOGY RUINED CHILDREN?

C. GETTING HARDER TO CONTROL CHILDREN’S VIEWING

2.16. Choose the section of a newspaper/magazine where you could find this article.

A. Education / Economy

B. Culture / Business