Imagine that you are learning English at the language course in Great Britain and are living in a host family. Write a short letter of 50-60 words home. Tell your parents about:

• your accommodations;

• your host family members and their interests;

• your leisure time activities.

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► III. Speaking

Talk about friendship in your life. Include the following:

• How do you choose friends?

• Describe the appearance and character of your friend.

• Is it important to be a friend to others?

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Examination Card #4

► I. Reading

Read the text. Write a short summary of it (5-6 sentences). Use your own words

to express the main idea of the text.

Ukrainian-Canadian Cooking

Ukrainian settlers from Galicia and Bukovyna arrived in Canada in the late 1890's. Many of the ingredients they had been used to cooking with (such as wheat, flour, barley, rye, cabbage, and root vegetables) could be grown in their new land, but others could not. Although the parklands of the Prairie Provinces were fertile, they were also much further north and higher in altitude than the settlers' old homeland, and the growing season was consequently much shorter.

The settlers adapted to local conditions, substituting available ingredients for those not obtainable. Dried fruit such as prunes and raisins were used instead of fresh; short-season vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers were incorporated into recipes. Meat such as tur­key, goose, duck, and local species of fish were originally used in substitution for pork, as there were initially few pork producers; later on, the immense amount of beef available on the Western Canadian (and especially the Alberta) market and its correspondingly low price meant that Ukrainian cooks were more likely to cook with beef than with pork or, especially, lamb.

These changes are evidenced in the Ukrainian-Canadian cuisine. Cabbage rolls or holubtsi may be made from parboiled or from pickled cabbage leaves, but the most common filling is a mixture of ground beef and rice, with pork a less common substitute. The rolls are often cooked in a tomato sauce which may be flavoured with peppers. Desserts are less likely to be made primarily from ground nuts, and may instead be made from plain flour. Ukrainian sausage (known as 'kovbasa') is heavily seasoned with garlic and Hungarian paprika and is used both in home cooking, restaurant cooking, and even fast food.

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► II. Writing

You invited your English friend to spend the Christmas holidays with you in Ukraine. Write an email of 50-60 words including the following points:

• weather in December and January;

• types of clothes your friend should bring;

• Ukrainian Christmas traditions.

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► III. Speaking

You are going to participate in the conference devoted to the mass media. Express your point of view on the following questions.

• What is the role of the mass media in modern society?

• What is your reaction to the information you read / listen to?

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Examination Card #5

► I. Reading

Read the text. Write a short summary of it (5-6 sentences). Use your own words to express the main idea of the text.