Read the text. Decide which sentences 1-10 are true (T) and which are false (F) according to the text.

Model: 1 F

After inventing dynamite, Swedish-born Alfred Nobel became a very rich man. However, he foresaw its universally destructive powers too late. Nobel preferred not to be remembered as the inventor of dynamite, so in 1895, just two weeks before his death, he created a fund to be used for awarding prizes to people who had made worthwhile contributions to mankind. Originally there were five awards: literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, and peace. Economics was added in 1968, just sixty-seven years after the first awards ceremony.

Nobel's original legacy of nine million dollars was invested, and the interest on this sum is used for the awards which vary from $30,000 to $125,000.

Every year on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death, the awards (gold medal, illuminated diploma, and money) are presented to the winners. Sometimes politics plays an important role in the judges' decisions. Americans have won numerous science awards, but relatively few literature prizes.

No awards were presented from 1940 to 1942 at the beginning of World War II. Some people have won two prizes, but this is rare; others have shared their prizes.

1 The first award ceremony took place in 1895. T / F

2 The Nobel prize was established to honour the inventor of dynamite. T / F

3 Americans have received most awards in literature. T / F

4 Awards vary in monetary value. T / F

5 Ceremonies are held on December 10 to commemorate Nobel's invention. T / F

6 Politics can play an important role in selecting the winners. T / F

7 A few individuals have won two awards. T / F

8 Awards are bestowed in 6 fields. T / F

9 Nobel's original legacy is used for awards. T / F

10 Nobel prize was established after Nobel's death. T / F

You are going to read a magazine article about shopping on the Internet. Ten sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-J the one which fits each gap (11-20).

Model: 11 C

Why do shoppers shy away from the Net?

Shopping on the Internet should be easy and stress-free: no queues, no rude assistants. 11____ Dr Peter Lunt, a London university psychologist, spent two years analysing Internet shopping and found that books, CDs and travel tickets are the goods most often purchased online. He surveyed almost 900 people, surfing the Net with groups and talking to individuals in their own homes. 12____

According to Lunt, the main explanations given for this reluctance to go e-shopping were the costs of computer equipment, fear of going online and concerns about the delivery and possible need to return products. 13____

Acknowledging this difference, Lunt says 'People recognise the convenience of e-commerce in principle, especially for grocery shopping, but it became clear that even the regular supermarket visit is a complex activity where personal and luxury items would be bought on impulse or with a specific occasion, person or meal in mind. It's hard to reproduce the pleasure of this experience using an unfriendly list-based computer program. 14 _____

Lunt believes there are three groups of people who do not shop online. The first has little knowledge of the Internet, but is potentially interested. 15____

The second group tends to be older, less educated and, Lunt believes, may be left behind. Members of the third group are relatively wealthy and computer literate, but have other reasons for not shopping on the web. 16 ____

And even amongst those who do shop online, most viewed it as an alternative. 'They are thinking more of the integration of e-commerce 40 services into their current household routine, rather than taking the opportunity to rethink how they organise their home lives,' says Lunt. 17____

Lunt sees this as a drawback because as he puts it, 'PCs are not integrated into the places in the household where decisions about shopping are made.' Perhaps this is why single young men were most positive about e-commerce. 18____

The survey concludes that those who are most positive about e-commerce are focusing on the convenience and the price advantage in particular products and not on the shopping experience itself. 19____ There seems to be some doubt about this. More of us may be encouraged to shop online as manufacturers overcome bad web design and learn to safeguard our privacy. 20____

A Indeed, like most shoppers, Lunt's interviewees found it hard to navigate e-commerce sites, saying goods were not laid out logically, and how dull the websites were - particularly compared to things like computer games.

B Indeed, about 58 per cent of online shoppers fall into this category and Lunt suggests that this reflects their interest in books and CDs rather than clothes -but even so, men still aren't buying much in total.

C 'They're a prime target for limited e-services delivered by digital TV,' he adds.

D But underlying these stated reasons, there's also a fundamental difference between conventional shopping and online services: both the pleasure of unplanned purchases and the ability to examine products are missing online, and for many, the experience of shopping, especially for clothes, is as important as the products themselves.

E The location of the computer was another factor in this domestic mindset, with many people having theirs either in the sitting room as part of an entertainment set-up, or else in the study for work.

F The issues for such people are the broader social issues of privacy and the possible effects on the way we live - although surprisingly they are happy to use the Internet for other reasons.

G Given that these fans of internet shopping seem to represent such a small minority, is there something that will get the rest of the population shopping online?

H Amongst all these people, only 14 per cent had tried shopping online and a mere 5 per cent were regular users; most of their purchases were confined to those three commonest product types.

I Yet, according to a recent study, people are still reluctant to buy from e-commerce sites.

J But will Internet shopping ever seriously replace the stress and thrill of the real thing?

You are going to read an article about a weather forecaster's job. For questions 21-30, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Model: 21 A

Millions of people tune into the weather forecast each evening ontelevision. Most of them imagine that the presenter does little more than arrive at the studio a few minutes before the broadcast, read the weather, and then go home.

In fact, this image is far from the truth. The two-minute bulletin which we all rely on when we need to know tomorrow's weather is the result of a hard day's work by the presenter, who is actually a highly-qualified meteorologist.

Every morning after arriving at the TV studios, the first task of the day is to collect the latest data from the National Meteorological Office. This office provides up-to-the-minute information about weather conditions throughout the day, both in Britain and around the world. The information is very detailed and includes predictions, satellite and radar pictures, as well as more technical data. After gathering all the relevant material from this office, the forecaster has to translate the scientific terminology and maps into images and words which viewers can easily understand.

The final broadcast is then carefully planned. It is prepared in the same way as other programmes. The presenter decides what to say and in what order to say it. Next a "story board" is drawn up which lays out the script word for word. What makes a weather forecast more complicated than other programmes are the maps and electronic images which are required. The computer has to be programmed so that the pictures appear in the correct order during the bulletin.

The time allocated for each broadcast can also alter. This is because the weather report is (18) screened after the news, which can vary in length. The weather forecaster doesn't always know how much time is available, which means that he/she has to be thoroughly prepared so that the material can be adapted to the time available.

Another related complication is that the weather forecast has to be a live broadcast; it cannot be pre-recorded. Live shows are very nerve-racking for the presenter because almost anything can go wrong. Perhaps the most worrying aspect for every weather forecaster is getting the following day's predictions wrong. Unfortunately for them this is not an unusual occurrence; the weather is not (25) always possible to predict accurately.

The weather is a national obsession in Britain, perhaps because it is so changeable. It's the national talking point, and most people watch at least one daily bulletin. It can be mortifying for a weather man or woman who has predicted rain for the morning to wake up to brilliant sunshine.

These days, a weather forecaster's job is even more complicated because they are relied upon to predict other environmental conditions. For example, in the summer the weather forecast has to include the pollen count for hay fever sufferers. Some also include reports on ultraviolet radiation intensity to help people avoid sunburn.

The job of a weather forecaster is certainly far more complicated than just pointing at a map and describing weather conditions. It's a job for professionals who can cope with stressful and demanding conditions.

21. What perception do most people have of weather forecasters?

A They have many qualifications. B They do a hard day's work at the studio.

C They work very short hours. D They always tell the truth.

22. Meteorologists get their forecasting information from

A the TV studio. B the country's main weather centre.

C satellite and radar information. D their office.

23. Creating a weather report is complex because

A maps have to be drawn. B a lot of data has to be interpreted.

C radar pictures are technical. D the information includes unreliable predictions.

24. The computer has to be carefully programmed

A so that the visuals are sequenced correctly. B so that the script is visible to the presenter.

C because the script has to be written on a story board. D because electronic maps are used.

25. Weather forecasters have to know the material well because

A the broadcast is pre-recorded.

B the forecast may be incorporated into the news broadcast.

C the content of the report may have to change.

D the length of the report may have to change.

26. What does 'this' in line 25 refer to?

A the weather forecaster's worry. B reading the weather 'live'.

C giving a forecast that doesn't come true. D an accurate prediction.

27. In Britain, people's attitude to the weather

A is not changeable. B makes it a top discussion topic.

C depends on the prediction being for a sunny or rainy day. D is a national problem.

28. Nowadays, weather forecasts have to

A do experiments to determine the pollen count.

B simply point at maps and describe weather conditions.

C cope with professionals. D be able to cope under pressure.

29. What does the word 'alter' in line 18 mean?

A to distort B to change C to locate D to be incorrect

30. Reasons the job of a weather forecaster is stressful

A daily routine B time of broadcast C the weather forecast is read live D the usage of scientific terminology

SECTION II.

Language use

Дата добавления: 2015-11-13