Пробный экзамен по английскому языку

Разделы:


В2
Установите соответствие тем А-G текстам 1-6. занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую букву только один раз. В задании одна тема лишняя.
A. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE
B. VICTIM OF PLAGIARISM
C. THE FIRST PUBLICATION
D. SHAKESPEARE’S SONNETS
E. THEATRE OF THE TIMES
F. SUPERNATURAL IN SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS
G. ENJOYABLE GAME

1. Let us imagine that we are in the centre of London on a summer afternoon in 1601. Across the Thames on the south bank, flags are flying from the tops of the theatres in which performances are being given. Paying a penny, we manage to push our way into the eight-sided auditorium, which is open to the air except for a thatched roof over the jutting stage and over the tiers of galleries that line the walls. Another penny gets us seats in one of the galleried away from the terrible smell of the greasy, food-munching “groundlings”, or standing spectators, who have just set up a tremendous howl at the sight of a satin-clad courtier striding across to a corner of the stage and disposing himself on a stool to watch the play.

2. In 1609, Shakespeare’s sonnets were published without the Bard’s permission. Many academics considered it unlikely that Shakespeare wanted many of his deeply personal poems to be revealed to the outside world. It was not however the first time; in 1599, in a collection entitled “The Passionate Pilgrim”, two Shakespeare’s poems had been printed without the Bard’s permission.

3. The First Folio of 1623, complied by Shakespeare’s fellow actors John Hemminges and Henry Condell was the first ever publication of Shakespeare’s plays. It contains all 36 plays that we can read today. All publications of Shakespeare’s plays are derived from this Folio. Only 250 are said to exist today, each worth roughly just 1 pound in 1623. Today each Folio would fetch nearly 3 million dollars (US).

4. The struggling UK-based Royal Shakespeare Company (PSC) is currently developing a video game version of “The Tempest” in an effort to attract young people to the theatre. The idea behind producing the game is to make Shakespeare more relevant and attractive to young people, as well as to generate some much needed revenue. If the game proves to be a success, the RSC will look to develop games based on the Bard’s 36 other plays.

5. If you cannot understand my argument, and declare “It’s Greek to me”, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against that sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you are act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, then - by Jove! But me no buts – it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.
Bernard Levin. From “The History of English”.                                                                                                          

6. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” Hamlet speaks these lines to his friend Horatio. The sentries who keep night watch over the castle at Elsinore have seen an apparition of the ghost of the late king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. Although Horatio pleads with the ghost to speak to them, it refuses and disappears at morning light. When Hamlet returns to Horatio, who expresses his bewilderment over the apparition, Hamlet points out that ghosts speaking, and brothers murdering, and wives remarrying may exist outside the moral framework of the average man … but that these things occur in the real world.
B3

Прочитайте утверждения 1-6 и следующие за ними тексты. Установите соответствие между утверждениями и содержанием текстов. Напишите цифру 1 – если утверждение верное, цифру 0 – если утверждение неверное.

1 Shakespeare could find
   the best way to speak
   about things.

Shakespeare’s works are often published in one single book, and it’s not a very large one. Perhaps some may wonder why Shakespeare has won fame as one of the world’s greatest poets. It would be very difficult to give a brief explanation. But open any of his plays and read and you’ll immediately see why he has earned this praise. For one thing, when Shakespeare has said a thing, it seems impossible that it could ever be said in a better way. The little songs which appear in his plays are among the most charming gems of poetry in the English language.

2 No matter what he
   wrote about, his plays
   were great.

Shakespeare’s plays are also wonderfully interesting. His historic works tell the stories of the early English kings: of poor, weak Richard II, clever Henry IV, and brave Henry V. Others tell the tragic stories of the ancient world: the murder of Julius Caesar; Mark Antony, the Roman general, who lost the empire through his own weakness and foolish actions. Other plays recount the tales of imaginary characters: of Portia, the noble lady who saved the life of her husband’s friend; of Othello, the nobleman who murdered his sweet, innocent wife after listening to the lies of an evil man.

3 All his plays are about
   people well known in
   history.

 

4 Shakespeare could give
   a true-life impression
   of characters.

Shakespeare seemed to know human nature through and though. The characters in his plays seem like living, with their weaknesses, people. There are many heroes among them, fine soldiers, and not too clever countrymen, tender ladies, and tigers in women’s clothing. Shakespeare seemed to be able to show us almost every kind of man and woman, good and bad, and to know how to touch all our feelings, from sad to joyous. We cannot help feeling sorry when we see poor old King Lear walking around in the storm, made mad by the cruelty of his two daughters; and we must laugh at the misadventures of the fat and funny knight Falstaff.

5 Shakespeare portrayed
   his friends and  
   neighbours in his plays.

 

6 Shakespeare’s plays
   teach   people to be
     kinder to each other.  

Last of all, though Shakespeare wrote his plays only for the amusement of those who went to see them, they contain many good morals and ethical lessons, which can help those who read them to be better, wiser and happier. It is pleasant to think that  The Tempest, probably the last play that Shakespeare wrote, ends with a scene in which those who have been wronged forgive those who have wronged them. Even in the final scene of his final play, the great poet, or “the Bard” as he is fondly called, wished good will to all.

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания А14-А20, обводя цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую номеру выбранного вами варианта ответа.

HAMLET
To be or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die: to sleep;
No more: and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
That fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d.

А14  For Hamlet the question “To be or not to be” is
        1) a question of time and place.
        2)  a rhetorical question.
        3) connected with a person’s dignity and self-respect.
        4) of little importance.

А15  Hamlet is facing the biggest challenge of his life:
1) to sleep or not to sleep.
2) to resign himself to his fate or to  strive against the evil.
3) to oppose  “a sea of troubles” or not to trouble troubles.
4) to obey the circumstances or not.

А16 Hamlet is sure that
1) death bears a complete similarity to dream.
2) death won’t save him from heartaches.
3) suicide isn’t a way out for him.
4) he will reach a great age.

А17  According to Hamlet’s words, conscience
1) makes you feel guilty.
2) must be clear.
3) is the most important part of your mind.
4) turns a person into a coward.

А18  “The undiscovered country” means
1) the United Kingdom.
2) Hamlet’s childhood.
3) the world beyond the grave.
4) an imaginary country.      
 
А19 Hamlet asks Ophelia
1) to atone by prayer for his sins.
2) to help him.
3) to remember him.
4) to forgive him.
 
А20 In the monologue Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as
1) a person who has overcome his lack of confidence.
2) an idealist who is repelled by the evils.
3) a weak-willed and faint-hearted coward.
4) a person who has a firm belief in the supernatural.

Раздел 3 ГРАММАТИКА И ЛЕКСИКА

Прочитайте текст. Заполните пропуски в предложениях под номерами В4-В11 соответствующими формами слов, напечатанных заглавными буквами справа от каждого предложения.

         William Shakespeare was born on the 23rd of April 1564,
in Stratford-on-Avon.
В4     At the age of six he ___________ to school, but had to leave it              SEND
В5      at the age of thirteen and never  _________ to school again.                  GO
В6      At the age of eighteen he _______ Anne Hathaway.                               MARRY
В7      Anne was eight years _______than her husband. They had three           OLD
В8      children, but ________ marriage wasn’t happy.                                      THEY
When Shakespeare was twenty-one, he went to London
В9       and _________ an actor. Shakespeare wrote 37 plays.                           BECOME
В10     But only 18 of them ________ in his lifetime.                                        PUBLISH
В11     People ________Shakespeare’s plays today all over the world              PERFORM
            and in many different languages.

Прочитайте приведенный ниже текст. Преобразуйте слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами после номеров В12-В18 так, чтобы они грамматически и лексически соответствовали содержанию текста. Заполните пропуски полученными словами. Каждый пропуск соответствует отдельному заданию из группы В12-В18.

В12   The world Shakespeare lived in was much __________ than               DIFFER
В13    the world of today. The English __________ then was                        SPEAK
much different from the modern English.
В14    But he wrote about the themes of love, __________, corruption,        BETRAY
В15    revenge and passion: themes that are __________.                              TIME
В16    Shakespeare’s __________ to world literature can’t be doubted.         CONTRIBUTE
В17    His ___________ were manifold.                                                         ACHIEVE
В18    His language extended the range of _________ for prose and              POSSIBLE
           verse.

Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами А21-А28. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям А21-А28, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Обведите номер выбранного вами варианта ответа.

Besides being a master of his language, Shakespeare was a brilliant craftsman of the stage – an artist who chose to fuse words with A21_______ to create a special dimension not duplicated in any other art form: the magic of the living theatre. To A22_______ that special dimension, a reader of Shakespeare’s plays needs to put them on stage mentally, to imagine himself hearing the words and witnessing the action.
The first certain record of Shakespeare’s career as an actor A23 ______ only at the end of 1594. That Shakespeare’s function was becoming more that of a scriptwriter than an actor, perhaps against his will, seem A24 ________ from the output of plays and the scraps of gossip about the roles he played. The astonishing thing is how Shakespeare found time to study and perform parts: he was turning A25 _______ two or three plays a year, he was composing sonnets and poems, he had an A26 _______ on his property in Stratford, he had leading managerial and commercial interests with the Chamberlain’s Men.
The conditions of performance for which Shakespeare wrote were vastly A27 _______ from our own. Not merely did the physical structure of the public theatres dictate the description of scenery rather than the use of it. It also determined the style of acting, which had to be louder and broader in the open air than it would be in the private and roofed-in-houses. More A28________ was the complete absence of women from the cast, which affected the writing and rendering of love-scenes. The boys who played the parts of young women in the English professional drama were certainly not incompetent. The acting of plays was a long tradition and a regular part of the curriculum in a Tudor boys’ school.

А21
А22
А23  
А24
А25
А26  
А27  
А28

1) act 
1) appreciate 
1) occurs 
1) evident 
1) off  
1) look 
1) various 
1) important 

2) performance 
2) understand 
2) strikes
2) obvious
2) on 
2) hand 
2) different 
2) typical 

3) action 
3) estimate
3) appears   
3) palpable 
3) to
3) eye 
3) another 
3) urgent 

4) event
4) value
4) arrives
4) precise
4) out
4) sight
4) distinct
4) natural

Раздел 4 ПИСЬМО

С1
You have 20 minutes to do the task.
This is a part of a letter from your English friend Jackie.

…By the way, in your last letter you said you were going to enter a short story competition “Quoting Shakespeare”. I was wondering if the competition was difficult. Who could take part in it? You were the winner, weren’t you?
     As for my news … Guess what! I have won the first prize in a cooking competition.

Write back to Jackie answering her questions.
Write 100-140 words.
Remember the rules of letter writing.

C2
You have 40 minutes to do the task.
Comment on the following statement.

       Some scholars question Shakespeare’s authorship, affirming that there is not enough historical evidence that Shakespeare really existed. However, Shakespeare’s contribution to world literature can’t be doubted.

What is your opinion? Do you support the idea this great English poet really existed and wrote his masterpieces himself?
Write 200-250 words.
Use the following plan:

  • make an introduction (state the problem)
  • express your personal opinion and give reasons for it
  • give arguments for the other point of view and explain why you don’t agree with it
  • draw a conclusion.

Раздел 5 ГОВОРЕНИЕ

Вы получите карточку, на которой представлены два задания для устного ответа:

C3 TASK 1.
Give a talk on Shakespeare’s contribution to world literature.
Remember to say:

  • what part Shakespeare played in the development of the English language and literature.
  • which are Shakespeare’s most popular plays and sonnets.
  • if Shakespeare was an actor as well as a playwright.
  • if Shakespeare is still considered the greatest of all poets and why.

You will have to talk for 1.5-2 minutes. The examiner will listen until you have finished. Then she/he will ask you some questions.

C4 TASK 2
Your school will soon have the Shakespeare birthday celebration and is planning to organize an event. Discuss with your classmate what your class could do. You have to choose one event only.
Here is a list of options:

  • making a wall newspaper
  • putting on one of Shakespeare’s plays
  • arranging an exhibition of illustrations to Shakespeare’s masterpieces
  • arranging an interpreters’  contest

You begin the conversation. The examiner will play the part of your classmate.
Remember to:

  • Discuss all the options
  • Be polite
  • Take an active part in the conversation
  • Explain the situation
  • Come up with your ideas
  • Give good reasons
  • Find out your friend’s attitude and take it into account
  • Invite your friend to come up with suggestions
  • Come to an agreement