МОСКОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКИЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ

ЦЕНТР ДОВУЗОВСКОЙ ПОДГОТОВКИ

ПРОМЕЖУТОЧНОЕ ТЕСТИРОВАНИЕ ПО ТЕМЕ:

«СТРАНОВЕДЕНИЕ. LONDON.»

Read the text.

NOVEMBER

It is November and the passengers on the commuter train coming into the city are wearing their scarves and overcoats. A gray mist hangs over the river and the scene reminds me of Monet’s famous painting of the Thames below Westminster.

Near Buckingham Palace the pavements are damp and leaves are still falling from the trees. Nobody is feeding the pigeons in Trafalgar Square any more and there are fewer visitors to the National Gallery than there were last week. Outside Charing Cross station an old man is selling poppies, for next Sunday is Remembrance Day.

At the bottom of Whitehall, near the Houses of Parliament, workmen are digging a large hole in the road. This hole is causing a traffic jam which stretches back as far as the eye can see. By half past four it is already getting dark. The buses are all lit up inside and the cars and taxis have their headlights on. What are all those drivers thinking about, I wonder, as they sit there so patiently waiting for the traffic lights to change?

1. Answer the following questions. Find the right variant.

1. Which town does the passage describe?

1. Capetown 2. Moscow 3. London 4. New York

2. What season is it?

1. winter 2. spring 3. summer 4. autumn

3. What does the word “COMMUTER(s)” mean?

   1. passengers on the train

   2. people who travel regularly between their work in a town and their home in the suburbs or in the country

   3. people who like traveling

   4. a special kind of train

4. Can you replace the words “coming into the city” by the words “coming into the City”? 1. Yes 2. No

5. Which of the follow is the lightest?

1. fog 2. mist 3. haze

6. Which river reminds the writer of Monet’s painting?

1. the Seine 2. the Avon 3. the Potomac 4. the Thames

7. What is Westminster?

1. a street 2. a monument 3. a city area 4. a cathedral

8. Who lives in Buckingham Palace?

1. the Queen 2. the Prime Minister 3. the Lord Mayor 4. No one

9. What do crowds of tourists watch in front of Buckingham Palace daily?

1. the Changing of the Guards 3. the Opening of Parliament

2. the Lord Mayor’s Show 4. the beefeaters feeding the ravens

10. What is there in the center of Trafalgar Square?

1. Cleopatra’s needle 3. the Cenotaph

2. Nelson’s Column 4. the monument to Queen Victoria

10. Why are the pigeons in Trafalgar Square unhappy?

1. because the days are getting shorter

2. because it’s time to leave London for other places

3. because they are hungry

4. because they are dirty

10. What kind of station is Charing Cross?

1. a railway station 3. a gas station

2. a bus station 4. a police station

10. What are “POPPIES”?

1. food for pigeons 2. postcards 3. flowers 4. candy

10. Who or what is remembered on Remembrance Day?

1. one’s dead relatives 3. those killed in the two World Wars

2. Britain’s victories 4. the days of youth

10. What is situated on either side of Whitehall?

1. banks 2. shops 3. theatres and cinemas 4. ministries

2. Match the following words with the definitions below.

1. breeze	2. cloudy	3. dew	4. frost	5. gale
6. hail	7. lightning	8. mist	9. snow	10. thunder

1. strong wind

2. gentle wind

3. flashes of light in the sky

4. frozen drops of rain

5. small drops of water which form on grass etc. on cold nights

6. loud noise in the sky during storms

7. frozen state of the air and the ground when the temperature falls below freezing

8. thin fog

9. small soft white pieces of frozen water that fall from the sky

10. It’s this when the sun is hidden behind the clouds.

2. Match the five words on the left with the general words that are used to describe them.

1. flood, volcanic eruption, earthquake, drought, hurricane	1. vehicles
2. pigeon, ostrich, peacock, toucan, budgerigar	2. vessels
3. taxi, bus, truck, cart, sledge	3. natural phenomena
4. rain, sunset, wind, rainbow, heat	4. natural disasters
5. aircraft carrier, cruise liner, submarine, tanker, tug	5. oviparous

2. What do the following idioms mean?

   1. Match these idioms with the correct definition.

1. after the Lord Mayor’s Show	1. to have a very enjoyable time, especially in a lively and noisy manner
2. to carry coals to Newcastle	2. very dirty, especially covered with broken bottles, paper etc.
3. a concrete jungle	3. to do something that is completely unnecessary
4. to paint the town red	4. a modern town or a city when considered to be unfriendly, violent, unpleasant, etc.
5. to send someone to Coventry	5. to punish (someone) by not speaking to him

1. Complete each sentence with the suitable idiom.

1. New York used to be described as being ____________________.

2. To open another bank in this street would be the same as __________ - there are three here now.

3. The other workmen intend __________, because he supported the boss’s point of view.

4. Many places in central Moscow look like _____________ on New Year’s morning.

5. They heard this morning that they’ve passed their examination, so they’ve decided ___________.

5. Read the text at the beginning of the test once again and then decide whether the following sentences are (1) CORRECT ; (2) INCORRECT

1. “Monet’s famous painting” is the opposite of “Monet’s infamous painting”.

2. “The pavements are damp” is the opposite of “the pavements are dry”.

3. “An old man is selling poppies” is an opposite of “an old man is buying puppies”.

4. “At the bottom of Whitehall” is the opposite of “at the top of Whitehall”.

5. “ It’s already getting dark” is the opposite of “it’s already getting light”.