Варіант 1

Контрольне завдання № 1

Read the text “Dots and Dashes Still Alive”. Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). The first statement has been done for you. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

1.1 Dots and Dashes Still Alive

In orbit high above Earth, a multi-billion-dollar formation of communications satellites stands ready to instantly connect pilots, seamen and all kind of navigators to every available aid when they find themselves in an emergency. But what if the communication computers on board these ships and aircraft started acting up or even broke down? The world could go silent, and leave travelers groping around for directions. Not to worry. There is backup plan, in part using technology that was invented in 1835, the year Mark Twain was born. It’s the Morse code, the language of dots and dashes that has survived to assault of higher technology for a century and a half.

Morse telegraphy may seem like a quaint anachronism, with its brass sounder and key operated by the world’s most basic toll, the human finger. However, it is sometimes vital to worldwide communications. When the Mexico City earthquake occurred in 1985 and all the power went off, calls for help were transmitted in Morse by an amateur radio operator. “We see the Morse code as a dying art, but we refuse to let in die completely,” says Major General Leo M Childs, the US Army’s Chief Signal Officer. “Newer isn’t always better. Even though it is old and slow, Morse is still the most reliable in difficult conditions.”

Every Merchant vessel bearing the US flag must carry a radio officer who can both transmit and receive Morse code. Under US law, the officer must spend eight hours every day at sea monitoring the radio for Morse distress calls. Should you ever find yourself adrift at sea in a lifeboat launched from a single communications device: A Morse transmitter that automatically signals a distress call, but is also equipped with keyboard in case you happen to know the Morse code. Perhaps the best-known bit of Morse code is the call for help – SOS. In the code, these letters from a distinctive pattern (dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot) easily recognized in an emergency.

The enduring use of Morse telegraphy is the legacy of a burst of industrialization in 19^th-Century America, when railroads and telegraph lines were used well into the mid-20^th century, well after radio, television and computers became commonplace. Until 1985, The Milwaukee Road had a Morse telegraph line between Milwaukee and La Crosse that was used routinely to relay orders to train crews. This Milwaukee Rodd operation was shut down quietly in the late Eighties. In many other countries, however, railroad Morse is still used.

When Morse inaugurated the telegraph service in 1844, he wired from Baltimore to Washington the now-famed message: “What hath God wrought!” Ever since, the death of Morse code has been predicted regularly. However, although the telegraph has receded from public view, experts say that they cannot envision an end to its use any time soon.

0) The reason the writer mentions the possibility of satellite-based communication systems failing is to

1. underline the importance of a reliable alternative.

2. suggest that satellite communications are unreliable.

3. emphasise the drawbacks of satellite communications.

4. compare Morse to communication satellites.

1) The process of communicating using Morse code

1. involves more than transmitting tones.

2. is tedious even for experienced users.

3. is not as laborious as people think.

4. is simple enough for anyone who can type.

2) The writer implies that the use of Morse Code is

1. old-fashioned, but attracts many enthusiasts.

2. only useful to the armed forces and some hobbyists.

3. being revived by amateur radio operators.

4. often the only way to communicate during crisis.

3) The writer….

1. implies that Morse telegraphy developed faster than the railroad.

2. implies that Morse has survived for so long because of the railroad.

3. suggests that the railroad developed because of Morse telegraphy.

4. explains why Morse telegraphy eventually became redundant.

4) The American military

1. needs simple communication methods.

2. has recently neglected its Morse capability.

3. allows its forces some Morse equipment.

4. offers training for recognizing distorted Morse.

5) The first message to be transmitted in Morse Code

1. symbolized the code’s flexibility.

2. was used for commercial purposes.

3. took a long time to reach its destination.

4. was sent by Samuel Morse himself.

1.2 Read the text “Teach Boys Emotional Literacy, or Else”. Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). The first statement has been done for you. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Teach Boys Emotional Literacy, or Else

Luke, thirteen, pauses at the office door, undecided whether to take his baseball cap off or leave it alone; he pulls it off and steps into the room – the school psychologist’s office. “Come on in, Luke. Have a seat in the big chair.”

Luke’s a ‘good kid.’ He plays drums I the school band and makes fair grades, though they’ve dropped lately. At school he’s not part of the popular clique, but he does have a few good ‘mates.’

So what brings him here? In the past few months Luke has grown increasingly sarcastic and sullen. A few evenings ago, concerned about his grades, his parents turned down his request to participate in an optional after-school activity. Luke flew into rage. He slammed doors and kicked a hole in his bedroom, his father was livid, but they left him alone to cool off. The next morning Dad left early for work, Luke hag a headache and took a sick day off from school, and his mother called in at school to see if anyone there might know what was troubling him. Luke’s advisor suggested the counseling visit.

As we talked, my question cruise the perimeter of his life: academic, music, friendships, family. His answers are curt, cautious and begrudging, punctuated with shrugs and steely expression intended to keep the conversation from moving any closer than that outer edge. “About the other night. The rage and that hole in the bedroom wall. You must have been pretty mad to do that?” Luke looks war, and even a little scared. He shrugs. “You look sad. Do you feel sad?”

Luke quickly looks down, and I see that tears are beginning to well up in his eyes. Clearly he is hurting, but it is masked in the toughness that fills his voice. “I don’t know. Maybe, I guess.” “Let’s see if we can figure out what’s making you feel so bad.”

Every troubled bay has a different story, but their stories share a disturbing theme, a theme of emotional ignorance and isolation. Each day we try to connect with boys like Luke, who are unversed in the subtleties emotional language and expression and threatened by emotional complexity. When we ask them to open up, most, like Luke, respond with the same fight-or-fight response we all have to threatening situations.

If you ask a boy the question “How did that make you feel?” he very often won’t know how to respond. He’ll talk, instead, about what he did or plans to do about the problem. Some boys don’t have the words for their feelings – ‘sad’ or ‘angry’ or ‘ashamed’, for instance. A large part of our work with boys is to help them understand their emotional life and develop an emotional vocabulary. We try to teach them emotional literacy – the ability to read, understand and put into words our emotions and those of others.

0. Luke is the kind of boy who

1. regularly flies into fits of rage.

2. is not popular with his peers.

3. has a limited of friends.

4. wouldn’t normally need counseling.

1. In narrating the incident which promoted Luke’s mother to seek help, the writer presents Luke as being

1. spoilt.

2. troublesome.

3. tough.

4. distressed.

2. Luke’s behavior during the counseling session

1. is not consistent with a violent temperament.

2. shows that he is afraid of punishment.

3. is typical of boys visiting psychologist.

4. shows fear which may not be entirely genuine.

3. The writer suggests that, when asked to talk about their feeling, boys feel

1. vulnerable.

2. offended.

3. ridiculed.

4. bullied.

4. When asked about their emotions, boys think of

1. ways of understanding them better.

2. dealing with them in practical terms.

3. how they can express themselves.

4. how they can use them to their benefit.

5. The writer wanted to stress that

1. adults also need to develop emotionally in order to help boys.

2. boys won’t suffer if they have a good emotional vocabulary.

3. admitting that boys are sensitive is hard for the male parent.

4. parents and teachers must be encouraged to help boys.