Билет №15. Вопрос 1.

YURI GAGARIN

It was on the 12^th of April 1961, when the first flight by man into space took place. Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut in the world, was a 27-year old Air Force pilot at that time.

The spaceship flew at the speed of 300 miles a minute. That's six times faster than man had ever travelled before. His flight lasted 108 minutes, but a circuit round the Earth took 89 minutes.

It was a brilliant achievement on the part of our scientists and tech­nologists, and on the part of Yuri Gagarin who risked his life to achieve a victory for his country and mankind.

This is what Yuri Gagarin said at his press conference: "On my flight the 'day' side of the Earth was clearly seen: the continents, islands, seas, and big rivers. Flying over the land I could clearly see the big squares of fields, and it was possible to distinguish which was a meadow and which was a forest. I could not see as well as from an airplane, but very, very well though.

I saw for the first time with my own eyes the Earth's spherical shape. I must say that the view of the horizon is very beautiful. You can see the noticeable change from the light surface of the Earth to the completely black sky in which you can see the stars. This transition, from light blue to dark, is very gradual and lovely.

I did not see the Moon. In space the sun shines ten times more bright­ly than on the Earth. The stars can be seen very well.

My legs and arms weighed nothing. Objects swam in the cabin. During this state of weightlessness, I ate and drank, and everything was the same as on the Earth. My handwriting did not change, though my hand was weightless. But I had to hold my notebook or it would have floated away.

The passage back from weightlessness to the force of gravity hap­pened smoothly. Arms and legs feel the same as during weightlessness, but now they have weight.

I ceased to be suspended over the chair, and then I sat in it. When I returned to the Earth I was full of joy."

1. What is the text about?

2. Is it fiction or non-fiction?

3. How much time was the flight?

4. How is the view from the spaceship described?

5. Do you think it was a heroic deed?

Билет №15. Вопрос 2.

Sports in Great Britain, the USA and Russia

The British like sport very much. They are fond of all kinds of sports. Many sports were invented in Great Britain and then spread throughout the world. Sports became popular long ago. In the 19-th century sport was organised at public schools so that young people could develop their physical abilities. But shortly afterwards the idea was borrowed by businessmen who started to organise football and other sports for their workers. From the 1960s commercial companies began to sponsor different British sports and activities. The national British sports are: football, golf, cricket, tennis, racing, darts. Like everyone else the British adore football. Moreover, the Englishmen invented it.

Englishmen like all kinds of racing. Horseracing, motorcar racing, boat racing, dog-racing, donkey racing are very popular in England. The most famous boat racing in England is between Oxford and Cambridge. It first started in 1820 and has been held almost every spring since 1836. A lot of people come to watch this competition between England's leading universities.

Americans are interested in different sports and activities. The major American sports are ice hockey, baseball, American football and basketball. The large choice of sports in America can be explained by the variety and size of the country, its different climates and the people's love of competitions of any type. The seasons of the "four major sports" often overlap.

Baseball is the most popular summer sport in America. But the first baseball games start in warm, sunny regions like Florida and Arizona in winter. Many sports are popular in Russia. There are many stadiums and public sports facilities here. Numerous national and international matches and competitions are regularly held in our country. They attract large numbers of fans. Most of the important games are shown on TV. Football is believed to be Russia's favourite sport in summer, while many young people play ice hockey in winter. Our country has been successful in different sports, especially in ice hockey. During the Olympic Games the Russian athletes prove the reputation of Russia as world's leading nation in sports. The national team of Russia has many times won the World Hockey Championships.

In Russia much attention is paid to organised sports and this shouldn't overshadow the many sporting activities which are part of daily Russian life. School children spend their free time playing football, basketball and other sports. In winter many Russians go in for skiing and skating. There are many skating rinks in the cities.