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Файл:Международный экзамен по английскому языку. Устный ответ
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Устный ответ 121
4. Define the Conclusion.
5. ADVERTISE St. Petersburg as a unique city. SUPPORT your pres=
entation. (150–180 words; response time — 60–90 seconds)
TEXT 5
Our City
Every city has something to be proud of. St. Petersburg
is a unique city. It has been described in many different
ways: ‘Window to Europe’, ‘Northern Palmira’ or ‘Venice
of the North’, ‘City of Dostoevsky’, ‘Cradle of Revolution’,
‘Hero City’, ‘City of White Nights’. St. Petersburg was a
city built in a hostile environment, in a scarcely populat
ed corner of the Russian Empire.
The history of the city began on a small island off the
northern bank of the Neva where on the 16th of May 1703
the fortress named Sankt Petersburgh was founded. The
citadel was to protect the lands of the Neva. Peter I closed
the entrance into the Neva for the Swedes. The city took
its name after the patron St. Peter. It became the first
Russian port on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The city
stands on 42 islands and in the end of the 18th century
there were more than 200 streets in the city. Nevsky Pros
pect, the main street was among them.
The population of St. Petersburg was multinational
from the very start. Unlike any other Russian city St. Pe
tersburg always had a large number of foreigners living in
it: Germans, Jews, Greeks, Swedes and many others. Tra
ditionally, St. Petersburg was a city of great religious tol
erance. On Nevsky Prospect there are Lutheran, Catholic
and Armenian churches. Religion played an important role
in the spiritual life of the Russians. There are hundreds
of churches in St. Petersburg. Some are museums, in some
services are held. St. Petersburg’s architecture reflects
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Peter’s intention to build a universal city, one in which
great historical epochs and styles are represented: Baroque,
Rococo, Classical.
In 1712 Peter decided to move the capital to St. Peters
burg from Moscow to have closer contact with Europe and
required the aristocracy to move here and build homes for
themselves. The city is called “The Museum in the Open Air”.
It is called so for its fantastic architecture. The Kunstkam
era is the first museum of Russia founded by Peter the Great.
Many buildings of the city are treasures of Russian architec
ture: St. Peter and Paul Cathedral, the Kikin Palace, the
Winter Palace, the Stroganov Palace and others.
St. Petersburg became the official residence of the no
bility. That is why arts and culture were focused here. The
Hermitage boasts over three million exhibits. Its Gold
Treasury is a unique collection of jewellery crafted by West
European masters. The Hermitage isn’t the only repository
of different works of art. The Russian Museum is worth
visiting, too. It contains rich collections of icons, paint
ings and sculptures. Every building in St. Petersburg is a
page of history. The theatrical life in the city is many
sided. There are 16 stationary theatres, numerous concert
halls. No doubt the Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre
is still the preferred choice of foreign guests.
In terms of literature, education, science and technology
the city was always at the forefront: Pushkin, Lermontov,
Nekrasov, Dostoevsky, Block and Brodsky lived at some
point in St. Petersburg, and were inspired by the city. In
1928 the Technological Institute was opened. Eleven years
later — the Pulkovo Observatory was built; the Russian
Geographical society was also founded in St. Petersburg.
The tragic side of the city is well known. Because of
its spirit of freedom it suffered more than any other city
during the Soviet regime. Then World War II came and the
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900day siege (blockade) of Leningrad. Over 1 mln people
died of shelling, cold and starvation. But the city survived.
It remains the only city on the European continent in which
no foreign invader has ever set foot.
St. Petersburg is a big industrial city and one of the
largest ports in Europe. The motto of the city is hospitality,
excellent services and a good sense of humour. Now the
city enjoys the free economic zone status with a highly
developed industry. Our city is very young. We celebrated
300th anniversary in 2003. St. Petersburg is very beauti
ful, very cultural and very heroic.
*Task 6.
1. Squeeze the main thesis of the text.
2. Clarify the supporting ideas to the main thesis.
3. Define the Introduction.
4. Define the Conclusion.
5. SUGGEST one place in your city your guest should visit and justify
your recommendation with reason. (150–180 words; response time — 60–
90 seconds)
TEXT 6
Russian Painting
For more than two centuries St. Petersburg was the cen
tre of the country’s cultural and political life, arts and crafts.
Since the very first days of its foundation up to the present
time our city has attracted and inspired artists, scientists and
historians. Each generation of them tries to record in their
works something typical of their own times. Zubov was the
first artist who produced a series of marvelous engravings
and a famous panorama of St. Petersburg of 1716. Fyodor
Alexeyev was the master of Russian landscape painting in the
124 Как успешно дать устный ответ
late 18th century. Ivan Ivanov was one of the first Russian
book illustrators. The great Russian painters Surikov, Repin,
Vereshchagin paid their tribute to St. Petersburg.
The Russian Museum in St. Petersburg is a world
famous repository of Russian art. It houses more than
300,000 items, including paintings, sculptures, drawings,
watercolours and works of applied and folk art. The pal
ace was built in 1825 by Carlo Rossi. In March, 1898 the
first state museum of Russian art was open. To begin with,
the museum’s collection of paintings numbered only 434
pieces, the museum had only 37 exhibition halls. It dis
played works by Russian artists which had been trans
ferred from the Hermitage, the Academy of Arts, from
royal palaces and private collections. The collection grew.
In 1916 a new building, called Benois Building was built.
The museum exhibits arranged chronologically showed the
development of Russian art from the 11th century to the
present day. The collection gives an idea of the entire his
tory of old Russian art, its major artistic schools, associ
ated with one or another culture.
Abstract art is considered to have been born in 1910.
Three artists — Vasily Kandinsky, Michail Larionov and
Kazimir Malevich — defined the character of the Russian
version of this type of art. Kandinsky presented the whole
of mankind’s spiritual life in form of a triangle with une
qual sides. Spiritually gifted people, the majority of them
artists, are close to its top point; they bear the burden of
spiritual vision, which they convey to the masses. More
over, shape and colour conceal new richness and new pos
sibilities. Every shape according to the artist has its own
inner voice and every colour has its own inner dynamic.
From the early 1910s to the early 1920s abstract art in
Russia won a greater and greater number of admirers and
from 1917, albeit for only a short while, was the leading
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trend. The Stalinist period, characterized by strict rules
in art, was absolutely hopeless for abstract art.
Nowadays the Russian Museum exhibits “The Russian
Portrait in the 20th Century”. The organizers of the ex
hibition want to have a look at ourselves — 20th century
man — from the side what we were and what we wished to
be. The first quarter of the 20th century provided a col
ourful and varied panorama in art — the traditional for
mal portrait as seen in the work of Nikolay BogdanovBel
sky, Gavriil Bobrovsky; rich imagery of Valentin Serov and
Lev Bakst were replaced by the experiments in form of Ma
levich and Popova and the bright, brutal characters of
Konchalovsky and Mashkov. An atmosphere of theatre,
dancers and activities that are now forgotten appeared on
canvases in whimsical poses.
From the early 1930s every painter was expected to
adopt a great theme connected with the successes of social
ist construction — trips to building sites, factories and
collective farms became the norm: Pavel Filonov’s “The
Collective Farm Worker”, Vladimir Tatlin’s “The Worker”
and others. Among the works between the 30s and 50s are
Robert Falk’s portrait of his wife, Vladimir Lebedev’s
“Portrait of Nadia Nadezhdina”. The portraits of women
and children could have had their own separate sections in
the exhibition. In the 1980s and 90s the portrait genre
underwent substantial changes: it has now moved into pri
vate apartments or onto the street.
One of the world’s oldest technical museums founded
in 1813 was Russian Ministry of transport Central Rail
way Museum which contains more than 50,000 exhibits:
models, vehicles and machinery which reflect the develop
ment of the Russian railways. Those who express a great
interest in the history of space travel and rocket building,
the achievements of Russian and foreign astronauts, can
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visit the Museum of Space Travel and Rocket Science. There
is the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism in
St. Petersburg. It was founded in 1932 and located in Ka
zan Cathedral until 2000. Now the first display rooms are
open at the museum’s new premises opposite the Main Post
Office (not far from St. Isaac’s Square). The display begins
with beliefs and religions of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.
People interested in current exhibitions visit the Cen
tral Exhibition Hall (Manezh) which holds art exhibitions,
fairs, festivals, presentations and concerts.
In terms of culture our city is always at the forefront.
Great writers, poets, artists, scientists and historians lived
at some point in St. Petersburg and were inspired by the
city. The achievements of their creative work are reflected
in the numerous exhibits of the famous museums of our
very heroic and very cultural city.
*Task 7.
1. Squeeze the main thesis of the text.
2. Clarify the supporting ideas to the main thesis.
3. Define the Introduction.
4. Define the Conclusion.
5. PROVE a well=known quotation: “Some books are to be tasted,
others to be swallowed or digested”. (150–180 words; response time —
60–90 seconds)
TEXT 7
Books and Reading
Some people read for instruction and some for pleasure,
but not a few read for habit. Reading is just a drug that
we cannot get along without. There are books of all kinds:
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volumes of verse, philosophical works, critical studies, bio
graphies, history; there are books to read when you are ill
and books to read when your brain wants something to
work at. An English author once wrote: “Some books are
to be tasted, others to be swallowed or digested”. This quo
tation tells us how to read books of different kinds.
Most travel books are to be tasted, it’s enough to read
bits here and there. If you are fond of crime stories you will
read them quickly — you will “swallow” them. Besides,
there are books that you will read slowly and carefully. If a
book is on an important subject, and, moreover, the subject
you are interested in, you’ll want to chew and digest it.
Furthermore, you would like to weigh what the author says
and consider his ideas and arguments. The book gives us a
unique chance to link up with the authors. A good author
should possess an ability to portray life truthfully, he must
have a great lyrical power and a rich, vivid imagination.
The first books which can be called literature were made
in Egypt around 2000 B.C. — stories of great adventures over
the seas, of deeds done by magicians, tales of the gods, books
on mathematics and science. Stories are told in different ways
in different cultures. American legends and myths are usu
ally about nature. German tales are frightening. French tales
are full of wonder, romance and happy endings (“Cinderella”,
“The Sleeping Beauty”). Japanese fairy tales tell of self
sacrifice, respect for the aged and dignity of the poor.
“Reading is the best learning,” said Pushkin. “Tell me
what you read and I tell you what you are” a wellknown
proverb says. Some people are fond of books about animals
and nature, others prefer poetry. Nowadays, science fic
tion books are very popular because they show new tenden
cies in the development of science and human society.
Travel books are very useful: they give you a lot of useful
information. On top of everything, it is very good when a
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book has colourful and attractive illustrations. Lewis Car
roll wrote: “What’s the use of a book without pictures or
conversations?” thought Alice (in Wonderland). A nicely
illustrated book adds to a better understanding of the char
acter. The title of the book, the names of the author(s), the
name of the publisher and the place of publication are writ
ten on the title page. The preface or introduction supplies
necessary background information. A table of contents is
a summary of the contents of the book. The text is the body
of the book. It may be divided into chapters. The appen
dix contains additional information. The bibliography is a
list of sources used in preparing the book. The glossary is
a dictionary of unusual or technical terms used in the text
of the book.
I like reading books. Books are the greatest of the world’s
wonders. Books develop our imagination, our literary tastes,
they bring us pleasure and delight. Thanks to books we can
talk to people who lived in different ages and countries.
Through reading books we can hear their voices, thoughts and
feelings. Our literary tastes are influenced by classical writ
ers. The books give us insight not only in the past but also in
the future. Books are necessary to me; nevertheless, I can’t
exactly define my literary preferences, because if a book is
interesting, it doesn’t matter to which literary style it be
longs.
I am sure that the greatest way of expanding our knowl
edge is by reading. If you want to be interesting, to be a
source of information, you must know a lot. A wellread
person is much more preferable in any company.
*Task 8.
1. Squeeze the main thesis of the text.
2. Clarify the supporting ideas to the main thesis.
Устный ответ 129
3. Define the Introduction.
4. Define the Conclusion.
5. Point out the transitions and conversational formulas.
6. Imagine that your friend wants to learn English. RECOMMEND him/
her what way of learning language to choose. Give reasons. (150–180
words; response time — 60–90 seconds)
TEXT 8
Learning Foreign Languages
In the contemporary world learning foreign languages
has become both fashionable and necessary. Of course,
people living in Englishspeaking countries are in a privileged
position as they already speak the language which in the
last few years has been accepted as international. All the
nations are enhanced to learn English if they want to com
municate with foreigners or intend to do business with
foreign partners or to travel all over the world. Nowadays,
there are numerous ways to learn foreign languages.
Firstly, many firms offer attractive courses with the
participation of native English speakers as well as inten
sive shortterm courses for secretaries, salesmen, seamen,
etc., with special attention paid to professional vocabu
lary. Also available are language camps in the country
and abroad. Secondly, a lot of people take advantage of
scholarships in a foreign country or seek a job among na
tive speakers to learn the everyday jargon and speak the
language like the English people. Thirdly, those who want
to learn at home individually can now find English book
shops that sell books specializing in English for begin
ners, intermediate and advanced learners, as well as books
with audio and video tapes. Finally, for those who own a
computer there are excellent study programmes on disks
130 Как успешно дать устный ответ
as well as the foreign language courses that are often
broadcast on television.
Above all, for those who live in areas where there are
no English teachers available there are correspondence
courses offering home tuition, with all the necessary ma
terial, and the possibility for students to study at their own
tempo. Many people do not realize that such courses started
over one hundred years ago in America when thousands of
people went to live in the West where cowboys and Indians
did not have any schools, or teachers, doctors, dentists and
lawyers; correspondence courses were the only way to ob
tain a professional diploma.
Today to become a professional person one must at
tend a University, and obtain a degree; nevertheless, the
correspondence courses are still accepted as a low cost
and highly convenient method of learning all over the
world. Moreover, at least one foreign language is taught
in schools and more ambitious pupils can take the possi
bility to learn more. They learn in regular classes or spe
cial language laboratories. If they want to expand their
knowledge, they read good literary works in the original
language, watch films without translated dialogues, and
learn more about the history and culture of the given
country.
Thus, the question of learning foreign languages is
very important today. Foreign languages are required es
pecially at the present time when progress in science and
technology has led to explosion of knowledge and has con
tributed to an overflow of information. More than that,
foreign languages are needed as the main and the most
efficient means of information exchange between the
people of our planet. Foreign languages, furthermore, en
rich one’s native language and make it more expressive
and flexible. I am sure, it helps to penetrate into your
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