II. Writing

Read the text given below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap (1–6).

Tips for flying

The number and length of flights has increased sharply in the past few years and the number of passengers on long distance flights is also higher. As the human body was not designed for flying, people can (1) ..... if they are on an aeroplane for a long time. Therefore, it is important to (2) ..... certain measures to increase your comfort. A longdistance journey often (3) ..... travellers feeling stiff, because they have been sitting in one (4) ..... for several hours.

In order to reduce the (5) ..... of this happening to you, there are some exercises you can do while you are flying. (6) ..... this, a hot shower taken after the flight can be an effective way of minimising stiffness. If you wear loose clothing made from natural

materials, such as cotton, you will feel more comfortable as your skin will be able to

breathe more easily.

1.	A agonise	B endure	C suffer	D tolerate
2.	A have	B take	C make	D do
3.	A results	B makes	C causes	D leaves
4.	A position	B point	C space	D situation
5.	A accidents	B chances	C opportunities	D fortunes
6.	A Apart	B Besides	C Except	D Despite

You have taken part in an English language course at the summer camp. Tomorrow is your Farewell party. Write a ‘thank you’ postcard (50–60 words) to your teacher. Include the following:

1. your opinion about the course;

2. say that you’d like to take part in a similar course again;

3. say ‘thank you’ for his/her work.

III. Speaking

English has become an international language. Talk about the importance of learning a foreign language. Use the questions to help you.

1. What do you consider to be the most important aspects of learning English?

2. What are the best ways to practise it?

3. Say if you’d like to learn a few foreign languages and why.

Examination Card #17 (8)

I. Reading

Read the text and write if the statements (1–6) are true (T) or false (F).

National tom sawyer days

What do Tom Sawyer and jumping frogs have in common? Stories about both of them were created by one man: Mark Twain. Born Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain was his pen name), Twain was four when his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, located on the west bank of the Mississippi. Twain grew up there and was fascinated with life along the river – the steamboats, the giant lumber rafts, and the people who worked on them. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is one of Twain’s best-loved short stories, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is one of his most famous novels. Both these works are celebrated by events held during National Tom Sawyer Days every 4th of July. The boy in the photo entered his frog in the jumping contest. There’s also a fence-painting contest to see who can paint the fastest. The idea for this contest comes from a scene in Tom Sawyer, in which Tom has been told to paint the fence in front of the house he lives in. It’s a beautiful day, and he would rather be doing anything else. As his friends walk by, he convinces them it’s fun to paint, and they join in the “fun.” By the end of the day, the fence has three coats of paint!

Although the story of Tom Sawyer is fiction, it’s based on fact. If you go to Hannibal, you’ll see the white fence, which still stands at Twain’s boyhood home.

1. Mark Twain’s family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, located on the east bank of the Mississippi.

2. The story of Tom Sawyer is fiction, based totally on Mark Twain’s imagination.

3. Twain wrote “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” and it was one of his best-loved short stories.

4. Mark Twain enjoyed watching the steamboats, but not the giant lumber rafts.

5. The idea of a fence-painting contest comes from a scene in a book about Tom Sawyer.

6. If we visit Hannibal, Missouri, we might see white fences everywhere.