Тесты по чтению на английском языке. Готовимся к централизованному тестированию

sight and big brains for their size, so Mike and his team put one in a specially designed tank, designed like a maze with lots of tunnels that led nowhere and choices to make about whether to go left or right at junctions.' The octopus had a good memory and solved our puzzle by trial and error. After two weeks, it could get out of that maze in under a minute,' says Mike.

C.Just like humans, animals use their intelligence to their own advantage. Sometimes they even use man's inventions to get ahead of the competition. Big cats such as cheetahs and leopards have been spotted standing on safari vehicles, all ready and waiting to leap out at their prey. Clever, but worrying, says Mike. 'If a cheetah uses a man-made object to gain an advantage over an antelope in an attack, then that is very dangerous, because it puts nature out of balance.' And hunger is one of the great motivators of intelligence in animals.

D.New Zealand kea parrots are some of the cleverest. On the program we see that parrots can actually be very accomplished locksmiths. In order to get at the tasty snack inside a locked box, one such bird had to undo one lock, pull a pin out of a second and then turned a key ten times to open a third. No problem! After only 45 seconds the kea reached its meal! For a program about brainy animals, apes and monkeys feature surprisingly little in Clever Claws. Mike says that's because it's already well-known that they're intelligent. Orangutans do get a mention, however. We see a mother helping her family cross a river full of crocodiles in Borneo. She's watched humans and so borrows a boat and a paddle so that her little ones can enjoy a safe crossing. Now that's what you call intelligence!

1. Which section mentions a type of animal that is now extinct?

A.Section A

B.Section B

C.Section C

D.Section D

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2. Which section mentions an example of intelligence that may not have a positive outcome?

A.Section A

B.Section B

C.Section C

D.Section D

3. Which section mentions an animal that has followed a human example?

A.Section A

B.Section B

C.Section C

D.Section D

4. Which section mentions an animal that was able to remember things?

A.Section A

B.Section B

C.Section C

D.Section D

5. Which section mentions animals overcoming man-made obstacles to get food?

A.Section A

B.Section B

C.Section C

D.Section D

d II. Прочитайте текст. Подберите соответствующий заголовок к каждому абзацу (1-4).

(1) Water scarcity is fast becoming one of the major limiting factors in world crop production. In many areas, poor agricultural practices have led to increasing desertification and the loss of formerly arable

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lands. Consequently, those plant species that are well adapted to survival in dry climates are being looked at for an answer in developing more efficient crops to grow on marginally arable lands.

(2)Plants use several mechanisms to ensure their survival in desert environments. Some involve purely mechanical and physical adaptations, such as the shape of the plant's surface, smaller leaf size, and extensive root systems.

(3)Some of the adaptations are related to chemical mechanisms. Many plants, such as cacti, have internal gums and mucilages which give them water-retaining properties. Another chemical mechanism is that of the epicuticular wax layer. This wax layer acts as an impervious cover to protect the plant. It prevents excessive loss of internal moisture. It also protects the plant from external aggression, which can come from inorganic agents such as gases, or organic agents which include bacteria and plant pests.

(4)Researchers have proposed that synthetic waxes with similar protective abilities could be prepared based on knowledge of desert plants. If successfully developed, such a compound could be used to greatly increase a plant's ability to maintain health in such adverse situations as inadequate water supply, limited fertilizer availability, attack by pests and poor storage after harvesting.

A.Developing Efficient Plants

B.Factors Limiting Crop Production

C.A Wax Shield

D.Plant Enemies and Ways to Fight Them

E.Waning Water Supplies

F.Various Ways to Survive

III. Прочитайте текст и выполните послетекстовые задания.

(1) Imagine sailing back in time 70 million years and plopping down somewhere in the western USA – right in the path of a starving Tyrannosaurus rex. Could you outrun it? If you were lucky enough to bring your bike along, could you out-pedal the dinosaur? An out-

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standing sprinter can run short distances at about 20 miles per hour. A strong cyclist can ride 40 miles per hour. But how fast could a dinosaur run?

(2)Though no one can actually time a running dinosaur with a stopwatch, scientists still have some idea of how fast it ran. A British scientist named R. McNeill Alexander found that the speed of a running animal has a close correlation with two physical features: its height at its hips and the length of its stride. He developed a mathematical formula to "guess" the speeds of moving animals without actually timing them. As long as he could get the two measurements, he could determine the speed of any animals – even those no longer around.

(3)For dinosaurs, footprints and bones serve as important evidence. From any particular set of tracks, the stride length is simply the distance between the prints of the same foot, while scientists can guess hip height from fossilized skeletons. Based on measurements from track ways in Texas and Australia, Alexander calculated the speed of dinosaurs believed to be either T. rexes or close relatives. Surprisingly, they were plodding along at just 4.5 to 5 miles per hour. Even a child can easily jog faster than that. Of course, these dinosaurs were just walking, and there seem to be no tracks of a running Tyrannosaurus rex. The only records of fast-moving dinosaurs are of much smaller ones.

(4)According to Alexander's formula, they were running at about 25 miles per hour. The fastest land animals aren't huge elephants or tiny mice. Like antelopes and horses, they're somewhere in between. It's easy to see that a mouse's legs and body are just too small to compete with a racing antelope. The elephant, on the other hand, is too big – or more precisely, too heavy. For large animals, weight plays an important part in determining running capability. Large animals have strong bones to support the own bulk. Moreover, to move quickly their bones need to be even stronger. The faster they move, the greater are the forces acting against their bones, causing them to bend or even break. Nature fortifies big animals' bones by making them a particular shape to resist these forces. Paleontologists believe that the big, thick leg

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bones of Tyrannosaurus rex indicate that it was a very fast runner, capable of moving as fast as 45 miles per hour. But some scientists think this is much too fast for the 13,000-pound animal.

(5) Alexander, using a formula based on the size and shape of T. rex's thighbones and estimated weight, guesses that it was only slightly more athletic than an elephant – in other words, neither a swift nor an active runner. So how fast did Tyrannosaurus rex run? Most scientists hesitate to come up with a specific number, but many agree that the evidence is against the image of a Tyrannosaurus rex outracing cars.

d Выберите вариант ответа, соответствующий содержанию прочитанного текста (задания 1-5).

1. According to R. MacNeill Alexander, it is possible to determine the speed of any animal, even that no longer around by

A.studying its skeleton and bone structure

B.two physical features: the height at its hips and the length of its

stride

С. the chemical analysis of fossilized skeletons.

2. The reason that the fastest land animals are neither huge nor small, is that

A. weight plays an important part in determining running capability B. a mouse and an elephant are correspondingly too small and too

heavy to compete

C. only animals like antelopes or horses have the necessity to run fast.

3. Large animals must have strong bones

A.to support their own bulk and to move quickly

B.not to have any injuries or fractures while fighting

C.to resist the elements

4. Nature fortifies big animals’ bones by

A.enriching them with enough quantity of calcium

B.by making them flexible in their joints

C.by making them thicker and giving them a particular shape

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5. Many scientists agree that Tyrannosaurus rex

A.was a very fast runner indeed

B.could develop the speed of 45 miles per hour

C.would have hardly been able to outrace cars

d Определите значение указанного слова в тексте (задания

6 – 8).

d Выберите правильный вариант перевода в соответствии с содержанием текста (задания 9-12).

9.Though no one can actually time a running dinosaur with a stop watch, scientists still have some idea … (2)

A.Хотя никто не пытался определить скорость бега динозавра при помощи секундомера, у ученых есть некоторые предположения…

B.Поскольку никто не может в действительности определить скорость бегущего динозавра при помощи секундомера, то у ученых есть идея…

C.Тем не менее, никто, впрочем, не может определить скорость бега динозавра без секундомера, то ученые располагают мыслями…

10.The only records of fast-moving dinosaurs are of much smaller ones (3).

A.Быстро передвигающиеся динозавры – это те, размеры которых значительно меньше, что является единственно достоверным фактом.

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B.Единственно зарегистрированные данные о быстро передвигающихся динозаврах, которые были значительно меньших размеров.

C.Единственные динозавры, которые могли передвигаться быстро, были небольших размеров.

11.For large animals, weight plays an important part in determining running capability (4).

A.Для больших животных вес имеет существенное значение в определении их беговых способностей.

B.Что касается больших животных, вес имеет существенное значение в определении их беговых способностей.

C.Из-за больших животных вес имеет существенное значение в определении бегового потенциала.

12.Most scientists hesitate to come up with a specific number… (5)

A.Многие ученые сомневаются по поводу выхода определённых цифр

B.Многие ученые не решаются представить точные цифры

C.Многие ученые сомневаются подходить к точным цифрам.

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TEST 08

ON PSYCHOLOGY, PHISIOLOGY

AND ANATOMY

d I. Прочитайте текст и выберите вариант ответа, соответствующий содержанию прочитанных фрагментов (А-E).

A.AARON (42 years): I have found in the past if I go and have a game of squash or go for a run, that's quite good. I think that gets some of the physical sides, the physical manifestations of stress, like the sore neck and the headache and those sorts of things. I think it tries and deals with those sorts of issues but it doesn't get to the source of the stress. It doesn't stop what's causing the stress in the first place. Still it makes you feel a little bit better.

B.BETH (28 years): Another thing that I do to actually overcome stress is go off and do things which are quite different from my work.

Iparticularly like painting houses, literally getting out there with the paintbrushes and painting the walls, and doing things which are just totally relaxing. I enjoy that very much.

C.NICK (37 years): I'm a pilot. There's certainly stress during takeoffs and landings which is probably more caused by the levels of concentration required than anything else. I think, generally, most of us probably at the end of a flight look at a bit of a chat around, over a quiet beer or something like that, or a glass of coca cola. Before going to bed, we just have to unwind. I think we'd find it quite hard to sleep if we just arrived, got to a hotel and tried to fall straight into bed, even though we are tired.

D.TRACY (20 years): Well, when I can get away from the situation that's causing stress, my first thing would be to go to a movie. I find

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being in a cinema and looking up at a big, wide screen and following an interesting or amusing story very relaxing.

E. MICHAEL (27 years): I don't think I have a stress cure. I think of it just as stress management. I think eating well is very important, drinking as little caffeine as possible, and exercise. And, I guess, taking care of myself, realizing that if I'm feeling stress, it's my body telling me that I need to be nicer to myself, have a week off or something.

1. For which speaker\speakers stress is part of their work?

A.Michael

B.Aaron, Nick

C.Tracy

D.Nick

2. Which speaker\speakers combat stress by doing things which contrast with their regular work?

A.Nick, Beth

B.Tracy

C.Michael, Aaron

D.Beth

3. Which of the respondents resorts to physical activities as a weapon against stress?

A.Tracy, Aaron

B.Nick, Beth

C.Nick, Michael

D.Michael, Aaron

4. Which speaker\speakers try to cope with physical manifestations of stress?

A.Aaron, Nick

B.Aaron, Michael

C.Michael, Beth

D.Nick, Tracy

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5. Which of the respondents chooses some form of art as a cure?

A.Michael

B.Tracy

C.Nick

D.Beth

d II. Прочитайте текст. Подберите соответствующий заголовок к каждому абзацу (1-6).

(1)Was Andre Agassi heralding a new type of hero, the one who openly wept and so tugged at the world's heartstrings? How many of us watching also felt a tear come to our eyes as we witnessed his reaction? Open displays of emotion, of course, are becoming common in world-class sport, at least among the younger players. We've seen it among football players for the past few years. But so far, it's only the men who are shedding public tears. Women seem to be getting tougher while men are increasingly allowing their vulnerable sides to show, and not being ashamed of it, either.

(2)According to Dr Brian Roet, author of A Safer Place to Cry, men who can openly weep are the lucky ones, the emotionally healthy people. A common newspaper expression for people who are trying to cope with strong emotions is that they are "fighting back tears". This is taken to mean that they are being brave. But how much braver if they can let the tears flow and allow everybody else to know what they are going through.

(3)Tears, Roet says, represent so many emotions: "They are a natural form of expression, like laughter. They can convey a multitude of feelings, such as happiness, sadness, loneliness, fear, relief, anger, or frustration, and as such provide healthy pathways to the outside world. "However, for some strange reason society has designated this expression of emotion to be unsuitable and the feelings are forced to remain underground." Many people, he says, have a lake of tears ever ready to flow just under the surface, yet they do their best never to let them come out, at least in public.

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