yastrebova-vladykina_uchebnik_2_kursa

Ex. 5. a) Fill in the missing words. b) Give the plural form.

1.The teacher hopes that the book will provide a b… for a discussion.

2.H... is an idea which is thought suitable to explain the facts about something.

3.O... is a place with trees and water in a desert.

4.B... is a very small living thing which may cause disease.

5.M... is a short legal document recording the conditions of an agreement .

6.C... is uncertain time or state of affairs; a moment of great danger or difficulty.

7.S... is an arrangement of subjects for study, a plan that states exactly what should be taught to students who are studying a subject, especially a list of what they may be tested on in their examinations.

8.C... is the range of subjects that has been officially chosen to be taught at a school or at all schools in a country.

9.Parents want to have more say in the planning of school c... .

10.The two doctors gave different d... of my disease.

11.S... are establishments for sick people who need long periods of treatment, or rest, fresh air, exercise, etc.

12.He lived as though there had never been a c... and half the world were not staggering from its effects.

 VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Ex. 6. Match the words in A and B.

Ex. 7. Fill in the missing words from Vocabulary List 1. The first letter of the word is given.

1.I had not heard from Jonathan for some time, and was very c_____, but yesterday Mr. Hawkins, who is always so kind, sent me a letter from him.

2.The result was miraculous as far as Carrie’s fortune was c_____ .

3.His only observation to the point was c_____ the chances of work in Chicago.

4.It was very evident that it did not c_____ him much.

5.The inheritors would not be likely to a_____ their just rights for sentimental reasons r_____ an entire stranger.

6.A certain great European Power makes a hobby of her spy system and her methods are not too p_____ .

7.“Mr. Darcy!” repeated Elizabeth, in utter a_____ .

8.The involuntary look of horror, with which the girl r_____ him, did not escape his eye.

9.Having had some time at my disposal when in London, I had visited the British Museum, and made search among the books and maps in the library r_____ Transylvania.

10.All seemed to be seeking their own amusement, r_____ of the possible sad consequences to others.

11.She had a great deal of genius of one sort and another, p_____ in music.

12.Britain has a p_____ high level of dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation.

13.“Did you think the lady had run away?” said Mr. Vance, extending his hand upon i_____.

14.However, a semi-proportional system was i_____ for the Scottish and Welsh elections of 1999 and the Euro elections of the same year.

73

15.I have received a letter this morning that has astonished me exceedingly. As it principally c_____ yourself, you ought to know its c_____.

16.Later he began to study his deeds, his failures, and his a_____.

17.He took with him a bag in which were many instruments and drugs, the e_____ of his profession.

18.In the late 19th century the tendencies i_____ in a free competitive economic order brought about new changes.

Ex. 8. Guess the meanings of the words cover and coverage from the context.

1.In that pleasant district of merry England which is watered by the river Don, there extended in ancient times a large forest, covering the greater part of the beautiful hills and valleys.

2.A pair of strong arms gripped me round the waist, covering the pockets in which a man might be expected to carry a pistol.

3.By this time the gypsies, seeing themselves covered by the Winchesters, had given in and made no further resistance.

4.The furniture was something the same style as that in the south rooms, and was covered with dust.

5.And I covered my face with my hands to hide my tears of bitter disappointment.

6.All were covered up in thin wrapping paper to keep them from the dust.

7.He planned to make what she earned cover all expenses, but seemed not to trouble over adding anything himself.

8.The Miami Herald, a nationally prominent newspaper, is known for its extensive coverage of the Caribbean.

9.Now, the space around the house being quite open and bare of cover, it was obvious that it could not be stormed without further heavy losses.

10.In most industrial nations other than the U.S., insurance coverage tends to be universal (although persons with very high incomes may be exempt).

11.The best-known press agencies operate as worldwide news-reporting services, providing general news coverage. Others provide national or regional coverage of routine or special news.

12.A series of seven U.S. weather satellites, the first launched August 1964, the last October 1978, photographed cloud cover and monitored air pollution.

13.We travelled from London to Edinburgh by coach and covered the distance in seven hours.

14.The Foreign Office failed to cover up for Mr Cook, who provoked a scandal by replacing the existing appointments secretary by his lover.

15.You’ll have to cover for Suzie today. She’s taken a day off.

Ex. 9. Fill in the prepositions if necessary.

1.I was too concerned ____ the news to ask ___ the explanation of that pronouncement.

2.“I’ve been ready, waiting, nearly an hour,” said Miss Ophelia; “I began to be really concerned ___ you.”

3.Richard Rogers is also modern in his philosophy. He is extremely concerned ____ the environmental aspects of design: can a building use solar power, and make the most of natural light?

4.Having rather expected to affront him, Elizabeth was amazed ___ his gallantry.

5.Elizabeth lifted up her eyes ___ amazement, but was too much upset to make any reply.

6.Miss Ophelia stood silent, perfectly paralyzed ___ amazement.

7.She had no particular regard ____ Carrie, whom she took to be cold and disagreeable.

8.The greatest interest, however, is ___ regard ___ the paper found in the bottle, which was today produced at the inquest.

9.___ some time I stood on the hill regardless ___ my safety.

10.___ this particular occasion Hurstwood wished to leave early.

11.Mrs. Bennet had so carefully provided ___ the entertainment of her brother and sister, that they did not once sit ___

___ a family dinner.

12.Mr. Holmwood introduced him ___ me, and he called here to see us, and often comes now.

13.Had the Martians aimed only ___ destruction, they might have annihilated the entire population of London ____

Monday.

14.He came again better equipped ____ his work, and won.

15.Clearly he’s shocked that his strange behaviour has had such a dramatic impact and, thankfully, this incident provides the catalyst ___ change.

16.Inside the space station “Mir” they do not always have to wear space suits, as the station can be provided ____ air conditioning and oxygen.

17.In the late 19th century the tendencies inherent ___ a free competitive economic order brought about new changes.

18.In Germany, ___ particular, large banks play a leading role ___ financing industrial development. Investment banks also play a global role.

19.Handel’s legacy lies in the dramatic power and lyrical beauty inherent ___ all his music.

74

20.Foreign aid has remained an important instrument of U.S. policy since the Marshall Plan. The emphasis, however, is no longer ___ aid to Western European nations.

Ex. 10. Translate into Russian.

1.Foreman fulfilled the duties of his office to the satisfaction of everybody concerned.

2.The primary criterion for admission is distinguished academic achievement and potential. The second is evidence of personal achievements outside classroom.

3.Formal externally-controlled tests provide for a greater level of comparability between classrooms and between schools.

4.They were the only ones of the school about whom Jessica concerned herself.

5.Here was I, a very ordinary fellow, with no particular brains; and yet I was convinced that somehow I was needed to help this business through – that without me it would all go to blazes.

6.My mother-in-law is very particular about the kitchen – everything has to be perfectly clean and in its place.

7.Dinah gave her version of the woman’s story, to which Tom added the particulars which he had drawn from her that morning.

8.People never inquire too closely into those who are paying well, – a thing which Cassy had foreseen when she provided herself with money.

9.Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune.

10.Van Helsing, with his usual methodicalness, began taking the various contents from his bag and placing them ready for use.

11.Next day he went again to the office and opened his mail, suspicious and hopeful of its contents.

12.It is a good lesson – though it may often be a hard one – for a man to step aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognized and to find how insignificant, beyond that circle, is all that he achieves, and all he aims at.

13.Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money, it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

14.The potato is said to have been introduced to Europe in 1585.

15.Humans can affect climate through alteration of the earth’s surface and the introduction of pollutants and chemicals into the atmosphere.

16.An amazing feature of the language development is the speed with which it is acquired: the first word is spoken at about 12 months; by two years of age children have vocabularies of about 270 words, and this increases to 2600 words at the age of six.

17.The struggle between South and North to introduce or prohibit slavery in the newly acquired regions had begun even before the peace treaty with Mexico was signed.

18.Mr Quinn is well-equipped to carry out his duties, but, unfortunately he is very deaf.

19.Despite the failure of the air-filter equipment the crew refused to abandon the submarine.

20.With the air-filter equipment out of order, the assessment of the situation seems over-optimistic.

Ex. 11. Paraphrase using your Active Vocabulary.

1.There is good potential for promotion especially regarding the direction you would like your career to take.

2.If you wish to be promoted to the position of vice-president you will have to gain some additional qualifications.

3.I was asked to give macro-economic and political analysis of the situation.

4.The police looked for the missing child all day and gave up the search only at night.

5.If you want to succeed in life be ready to overcome difficulties.

6.We watched him with an astonished expression.

7.Our goal is to achieve the attendance level of at least 90%.

8.She intends to win a gold medal at the next Olympic games.

9.Examinations are not the only means of evaluating someone’s ability.

10.He stressed that police work is dangerous and physically demanding.

11.They were sinking fast, and the captain gave the order to leave the ship.

12.We will not be able to uphold the same standards of teaching if there are funding cuts.

13.He has two young daughters to support.

Ex. 12. Read the text and fill in the gaps with suitable words from Vocabulary List 1. More about Testing

The almost total 1) _____ of eleven plus testing in the 1970s caused 2) _____ that there was very little information about the standards being 3) _____ in primary schools and the lower years of secondary schools. The 4) _____ of the National Curriculum was to be followed by a national assessment system. It was designed by the Task Group on 5) _____ and Testing (TGAT). The 6) _____ of national assessment was 7) _____ diagnostic information for the teach-

75

ers in the classrooms and the summative information for students, teachers and parents about individual pupil 8) _____ at a given stage.

The national assessment requirements, however, caused major controversy. It needs to be understood that there was no tradition of formal assessment at all, the eleven plus being the only 9) _____ test. It is not 10) _____ that teachers were ideologically opposed to conducting tests; they 11) ______ them as neither meaningful, nor helpful. It was the 12) _____ of the test to which the teachers were objecting, rather than the existence of tests per se1.

Now it is evident that the increasing 13) _____ on practising particular skills and techniques for tests has become a much more significant focus for secondary school pupils than learning for the acquisition (приобретение) of either information or 14) _____. It suggests that there are errors 15) _____ in the national assessment system.

Do you think the introduction of formal testing has improved pupils’ academic achievement?

Ex. 13. Translate into English using your Active Vocabulary.

1.Министр по делам образования Великобритании подчеркнул, что правительство должно оказывать постоянную поддержку государственным школам.

2.Я не думаю, что есть необходимость вдаваться во все детали. Всю информацию, касающуюся конференции, можно получить в оргкомитете.

3.Вопиющее (glaring) неравенство между государственными и частными школами заложено в системе школьного образования Великобритании.

4.Несмотря на то, что власти правильно оценили драматичность ситуации, они отказались от помощи других стран, которые были лучше подготовлены к такой операции.

5.Четвероногого друга (pet) можно найти в частных и государственных приютах (shelters) для брошенных животных.

6.В Великобритании посещение школы является обязательным для детей от 5 до 16 лет.

7.Я был поражен тем, что в таких условиях они могли танцевать, забыв обо всем.

8.Впервые предисловие (введение) стало обязательным в книгах эпохи возрождения (the Renaissance).

9.По правде говоря, политически корректное слово «партнеры» часто маскирует самые разные отношения.

10.Реформа школы направлена на улучшение качества образования.

11.Компания Си-Эн-Эн приобрела популярность благодаря освещению политических и экономических проблем во всем мире.

12.Умения и навыки пятилетних детей (предполагается, что они уже умеют писать свое имя и считать) будут проверяться перед поступлением в начальную школу с помощью новых тестов.

13.В левом верхнем углу письма было написано «тем, кого это касается».

14.Что касается Вашего запроса, мы сообщаем Вам, что ежемесячные выплаты предусмотрены только для матерей-одиночек.

15.По мнению многих учителей, главная причина плохой успеваемости – недостаточное финансирование, а не содержание учебных программ.

16.Независимо от того, как будет освещать эту историю пресса, скандала не избежать.

17.Мы должны дать собственную оценку кандидатам (applicants). Мы собрались здесь именно для этого.

 SPEAKING 1

☻ Agree or disagree with the following statements. Give your reasons.

1.Full-time compulsory education should start at 5 and take 12 years to complete.

2.Primary school should concentrate on basic skills while secondary school should offer a wider curriculum, with most subjects being optional.

3.Entrance exams can be abandoned only if standardized external testing of high school students is introduced throughout the country.

4.Primary school should take children of all abilities from the neighbourhood without discrimination, while secondary schools should have a right to select students by means of an examination and divide them into different groups according to the results.

5.Elite school education is essential for talented children who do not find high school curriculum challenging enough.

6.Sport and PT should be an integral part of school curriculum and be compulsory for every student; for university students these subjects should be optional.

7.Private schooling in Russia doesn’t necessarily mean an elite education.

☻ Comment on the following extracts. What arguments against conventional schools are given in them? Give your own arguments for or against traditional schooling.

1 as such

76

1.Putting resources into school reform makes about as much sense as investing in the horse and buggy at the end of the 19th century. Just as the automobile was destined to sweep aside horse-based transport, so “hyperlearning” will sweep aside education as we now understand it. We can no longer afford to think of education as something we complete in our youth as a preparation for work and citizenship. With skill requirements changing constantly, we all have to accept the need for lifelong learning.

2.Teaching today is immensely labour intensive. Hundreds of thousands of teachers stand in classrooms delivering almost identical lectures to their students. Yet such techniques are inherently inefficient because the abilities of students vary so enormously – and because the competitive atmosphere of classrooms inhibits many less able students. With the latest computer technology, a single talented teacher can prepare and deliver a course to an unlimited number of students. Programmed instruction can allow students to learn at their own pace, repeating difficult sections as often as necessary.

3.Governments should abolish all public grants for schools and colleges and give the money directly to families to spend on whatever form of education they choose, be it distance learning courses, video cassettes, books or conventional schooling (which would no longer be compulsory). This will create a market where parents will become shoppers, which will lead to an improvement in the standard of education.

Ex. 14. Give a free translation into English.

Реформа школы, официально объявленная 1 сентября 2000 года, в первую очередь, подразумевает введение 12-летнего школьного обучения. Эта реформа начнется в 2001 году с широкомасштабного эксперимента, который охватит почти 1 млн. детей.

Его оппоненты утверждают, что для реализации проекта нет ассигнований, нет условий для раздельного обучения малышей и старшеклассников, нет учебных программ, рассчитанных на дополнительные выпускные классы, нет, наконец, критериев оценки такого эксперимента. Многие учителя и ученые вспоминают о провале эксперимента с шестилетками в 70-е годы. Тогда оказалось, что даже самые способные из них могут учиться только по особой, игровой методике. Подготовка учителя, владеющего такой методикой, очень сложна.

Звучат также обвинения в попытке перестроить российскую школу по американской модели. Большинство, однако, признает, что реформа давно назрела. 12-летка – лишь начало больших преобразований, которые неизбежно затронут всю систему образования.

Первый шаг в этом направлении – введение единого государственного экзамена. Механизм его пока еще не разработан. Предполагается, что он будет проводиться среди выпускников средних школ в письменной форме, и его результаты будут засчитываться вузами в качестве вступительных экзаменов. Тестирование должны проводить независимые комиссии.

Цель единого экзамена – устранить неравенство между выпускниками городских и сельских школ, богатыми и бедными. Предполагается, что выпускники, набравшие наибольшее количество баллов, будут иметь право выбирать самые престижные вузы и учиться бесплатно. Тем, кто наберет невысокие баллы, придется платить за обучение.

Фактически, это означает применение платно-бесплатного принципа обучения, давно испытанного в разных странах. В соответствии с этим принципом плата за обучение зависит от ранга (престижа) вуза; она снижается (вплоть до бесплатности и назначения стипендии) в зависимости от того, насколько учебное заведение заинтересовано в студенте (в связи с его будущей карьерой), и насколько студент хорошо учится.

Этот элемент реформы также вызывает серьезную критику, особенно со стороны ректоров ведущих вузов, настаивающих на своих вступительных экзаменах. Главный аргумент против единого экзамена – сомнение в том, что такая оценка знаний выпускников школ будет объективной.

READING 2

Scan the extract from “The Daughters of Cain” by a modern crime writer Colin Dexter, a Cambridge graduate. Find the answers to the questions:

1.Why was Julia Stevens disillusioned with teaching?

2.Why did she visit the school on 2 September?

3.Whose examination results was she particularly interested in?

* * *

Aged forty-six, Julia Stevens would have been happier with life, if she had been able to tell herself that after nearly twenty-three years she was still enjoying her chosen profession. But she wasn’t ... .

77

It wasn’t so much the pupils – her thirteen to eighteen-year-olds – though some of them would have ruffled the calm of a Mother Teresa1. No. It wasn’t that. It was the way the system was going: curriculum development, aims and objectives (whatever the difference between those was supposed to be!), assessment criteria, parent consultation, profiling2, testing... God! When was there any time for teaching these days?

On Friday, 2 September, three whole days away from the dreaded restart, Julia Stevens paid a visit to the Secretary’s Office of the Proctor Memorial School to look through the GCSE and A-level results, both lists having been published during her fortnight’s absence abroad. Like every self-respecting teacher, she wanted to discover the relative success of the pupils she herself had taught.

In former days it had often been difficult enough for some pupils to sit examinations, let alone3 pass them. And even in the comparatively recent years of Julia’s girlhood several of her own classmates were thought not to be bright enough even to attempt the 11 Plus.

How things had changed.

Now, in 1994, it was an occasion for considerable surprise if anyone somehow managed to fail an examination. Indeed, to be recorded in the Unclassified ranks of the GCSE was, in Julia’s view, a feat of astonishing incompetence.

She looked through 5C’s English results. Very much as she’d expected. Then she looked a little more closely at the results of the only pupil in the class whose name began with “C”, Costyn, K. At the age of seventeen Kevin Costyn was the dominant personality amongst the twenty-four pupils, of both sexes, comprising Form 5C. He was fourteen months or so above the average age of his class because he was below the average Intelligence Quotient4 for his year. In spite of

– or was it because of? – such intellectual shortcomings, Kevin was an individual of considerable power; and if any pupil was likely to drive his teacher to retirement, to resignation or even to suicide, that pupil was Kevin Costyn. Julia Stevens was one of the few members of staff who could handle that unruly youth.

His results were no surprise: Religious Education, “Unclassified”; English, “D”; Maths, “Unclassified”; Geography, “Unclassified”; Metalwork, “Unclassified”. Well, at least he’d got something – after twelve years of schooling... thirtysix terms. But it was difficult to imagine him getting much further than the Job Centre. Nowhere else for him to go, was there – except to jail, perhaps?

How she wished that “D” had been a “C”, though.

Using the information from texts 1 and 2 suggest your answer to the following questions.

1.What kind of school did Julia Stevens a) teach at? b) finish?

2.What examination had 5C’s pupils taken: GCSE or GCE A-level?

3.What marks are used in English schools?

4.Who marked examination papers of Julia’s pupils?

5.What do you think was Julia’s attitude to school reform?

Language Work

Study the words and collocations connected with examinations.

Suggest which are more / less formal.

student

examinee sail through candidate

1вывели бы из себя святого

2составление характеристики личностных качеств и профессиональных способностей человека

3не говоря уже

4показатель умственных способностей

78

teacher examiner invigilator

Ex. 15. Read and translate the sentences to bring out the difference in meaning of the words in bold type.

1.The new GCSE examinations are national examinations, but GCE A-level examinations are still set and marked by various examining boards appointed by universities or groups of universities. Schools are free to choose the board.

2.The average school candidate takes six or seven GCSEs, while the number of subjects taken at A-level varies between one and four.

3.When sixteen-year-old Joanna passed her GCSE exams she decided to continue her studies for two more years at the Sixth Form College in the nearest city. She is going to do History, German and English as her A-level exams.

4.University students in the UK cannot usually repeat a year. Failing exams is very serious.

5.Valerie was due to sit her O-level French the next week, but she didn’t have much chance in the exam. In fact, her tutor had little hope she would scrape through. Not too bad at spoken French, but her essays were appalling.

6.“If a candidate decided to cheat in the examination room, either by taking notes in with him or copying from somebody else, we’ve got to rely on the invigilators keeping a careful eye on things, and reporting anything suspicious directly to the Examining Board.”

“What do you do if it does happen?”

“We disqualify the examinees concerned from every subject in the examination.” “You send out the question papers before the examination, don’t you?” “Wouldn’t be much good holding the examinations, if we didn’t, would it?”

“Is there ever a problem of security about question papers ... if one of the teachers was dishonest?”

“God, no. We’ve got examiners who would smell anything like that a mile away. We’ve got records of percentage passes for all the subjects examined, and we know the sort of pupils we are examining. The examiners themselves are regularly examined by a team of so-called ‘awarders’.”

Ex. 16. Read the text and fill in the missing words.

In spite of the devaluation of the pound sterling against the dollar there remained among foreigners a firm and charming faith in the efficiency of the British education system and in the integrity of the British system of public examinations.

During the previous decade the Oxford based Foreign Examinations Syndicate had thrown its net round half the globe; it had a hundred or so overseas centres which 1) _____ the GCE Ordinary-level and Advanced-level examinations.

That particular Tuesday, 25th November, had been fixed for the “retake” of the Ordinary-level English Language papers. The importance of a decent degree in the English language, whether for future employment or for admission to higher education was such that few candidates who 2) ______ the exam treated the two question papers (Essay and Comprehension) with anything but appropriate respect.

At 11.55 teachers who 3) ______ the exams in Geneva, East and West Africa, in Bombay, and in the Persian Gulf were reminding the 4) ______ who 5) ______ the exam since 9 o’clock in the morning, that only five minutes remained before scripts were to be collected. At twelve noon in a classroom in the Sheikdom of Al-Jamara, a young English 6) _____ asked the 7) ______ to hand in their scripts.

On Saturday evening Mr. Nigel Dennison, one of the examiners started 8) ______ the scripts provisionally1 in pencil to present them later to the senior 9) ______ . It was a tedious chore. He was marking the myriad errors of grammar, syntax, construction, spelling and punctuation. An hour later he had finished the first four scripts. At the top right-hand corner of each script he had written his provisional percentage: 27%, 34%, 35%, 19%. The candidates had tried and 10) ______ . They just could not write English – that was a fact. None of them was able to 11) ______ .

The last one, though, was a better script. The examiner put aside his pencil as he read through the essay with genuine interest. Whoever the boy was, he’d written beautifully, either this lad was exceptionally able, or else he had been extraordinarily fortunate. That wasn’t for the examiner to decide, though, his job was to reward what was on the script. He

1 provisionally – предварительно

79

pencilled in 90% and then wondered why he hadn’t given it 95%, or even 99%. But like almost all examiners, he was always frightened of using the full range of marks. The lad would 12) ______, anyway. In fact, fly through.

/аfter “The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn” by Colin Dexter/

Do you agree that teachers are reluctant to give the highest score at a written exam?

SPEAKING 2

☻ School experiences. Discussion questions.

1.What is a problem pupil? Do you think Kevin Costyn was a typical one? Whose fault do you think it was? What were his prospects? Did you have any pupils like that in your class?

2.What kind of pupil do you think Julia was in her childhood? What kind of teacher do you think she made? What is your idea of a good teacher?

3.Looking back on your school days, what experiences can you describe as the most 1) memorable, 2) exciting, 3) painful?

When giving your opinion use the phrases from the table:

The following expressions can be used to introduce

PERSONAL OPINIONS

READING 3. Welcome to British Short Stories of Today

Pre-reading questions:

1.How do you feel on the morning of an exam?

2.In your opinion, which exam is easier to pass: oral or written?

3.Do you prefer to be the first to answer at an oral exam?

4.Do you use rough-work sheets at a written exam? Why?

5.Do you feel uncomfortable if the teacher stands next to you at a written exam?

6.Do you think a crib can be of any use?

7.Have you ever panicked at an exam?

8.Do you think it is a way out to copy from other students?

9.What is the most difficult thing about exams?

Read the text which is based on the story “The Miraculous Candidate” by a modern British writer Bernard Mac Laverty. Answer comprehension questions.

The Mix-Up

On the morning of his Science exam John felt his stomach light and woolly, as if he had eaten feathers for breakfast. Outside the gym some of the boys fenced with new yellow rulers or sat drumming them on their knees. The elder ones, doing Senior and “A” levels, stood in groups all looking very pale, one turning now and again to spit over his shoulder to show he didn’t care. John checked for his examination card which his grandmother had carefully put in his inside pocket the night before.

One of the Seniors said it was nearly half-past and they all began to shuffle towards the door of the gym. John had been promised a watch if he passed his Junior.

The doors were opened and they all filed quietly to their places. John’s desk was at the back, with his number chalked on the top right-hand corner. He sat down, unclipped his fountain-pen and set it in the groove. All the desks had an empty hole for an ink-well. During the maths exam one of the boys opposite who couldn’t do any of the questions drew a face on his finger and put it up through the hole and waggled it at John. He didn’t seem to care whether he failed or not.

John sat looking at the wall-bars which lined the gym. The invigilator held up a brown paper parcel and pointed to the unbroken seal, then opened it, tearing off the paper noisily. He had a bad foot and some sort of a high boot which squeaked every time he took a step. His face was pale and full of suspicion.

The invigilator squeaked his way down towards John and flicked a pink exam paper onto his desk. John steadied it with his hand. His eyes raced across the lines looking for the familiar questions. The feathers whirlpooled almost into his 80

throat. He panicked. There was not a single question – not one – he knew anything about. He tried to settle himself and concentrated to read the first question.

It was no use. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

He looked round at the rest of the boys. Most of them were writing frantically. Others sat sucking their pens or doodling on their rough-work sheets. John looked at the big clock they had hung on the wall-bars, with its second hand slowly spinning. Twenty minutes had gone already and he hadn’t put pen to paper. He must do something.

John raised himself from his desk to see what the boy in front of him was writing. At this moment the invigilator looked up from his paper. He came round his desk quickly and walked towards John, his boot creaking as he came.

“What are you up to? Are you trying to copy?” he hissed between his teeth. “If you try to do it again I’ll have you disqualified”.

The tears welled up in John’s eyes. “What is wrong with you boy?”

“I can’t do it, sir – any of it.” John pointed to the paper. The invigilator span it round with his finger.

“You should have thought of that some months ago...” The words faded away. “I’m very sorry. Just a minute,” he said, limping very quickly down to his desk. He came back with a white exam paper, which he put in front of John.

“Very sorry”, he repeated. “It does happen sometimes.” John looked for the first time at the head of the pink paper. ADVANCED LEVEL PHYSICS. Now he read quickly through the questions on the white paper the invigilator had brought him. They were all there. Archimedes in his bath, properties of NaCL, allotropes of sulphur, the anatomy of the buttercup. The invigilator smiled with his spade-like teeth.

“Is that any better?” he asked. John nodded. “... and if you need some extra time to make up you can have it.” “Thank you, sir,” said John. The invigilator hunkered down beside him and whispered confidentially.

“This wee1 mix-up’ll not go any farther than between ourselves, will it...” he looked down at his clip-board. “... Johnny?”

“No, sir.”

He gave John a pat on the back and creaked away over the coconut matting. John put his head down and started to write.

Comprehension questions:

1.How did John feel on the morning of his Science exam?

2.How did the boys behave before the exam?

3.Why did John panic?

4.What are the duties of an invigilator?

5.Can you explain the title of the story “The Mix-Up”?

** *

1.Does the exam described remind you of any of the exams you’ve taken?

2.Have you ever had or heard of a similar experience at the exam?

Language Work

Ex. 17. Look through the text again and guess the meaning of the verbs in italics from the context. Then look them up in the dictionary.

Have you guessed right? What helped you?

Ex. 18. Complete the sentences with a suitable verb from the text.

1.Young babies often ... their fingers, if they do not have a pacifier (пустышка).

2.A person with a bad foot may ... .

3.A snake ... when in danger.

4.When nervous or impatient we often ... on the table with our fingers.

5.Old people tend to ... when walking.

6.Many students have a habit of ... in their notebooks.

7.Sometimes new boots ... .

8.The first time Tom Soyer smoked he was ... all the time.

9.Will you stop giving orders all the time. My head ... .

10.It was already dark when Mother entered the room and ... the switch.

1 маленький, крошечный

81

hang hung hung

Ex. 19. Study the examples and translate the sentences into Russian.

A.

1)Hang smth (attach smth to a wall, tree, etc. with a string, wire) She decided to hang the picture on the wall between the windows. Hang your coat on the hook.

After her exhibition was dismantled in February, the gallery was hung with more than a hundred photographs. Sometimes she got irritated, however, when hanging committees hung her oils in corners because they feared the drama of her pictures would dominate the room.

2)Hang (about pictures, curtains, lamps, one’s hair, clothes, etc.)

I remember a charming Renoir of a young girl in profile with long yellow hair hanging down her back. He stood very still, his arms hanging loosely, his feet apart.

It’s a fact that clothes hang better on thin people.

B. Hang as a phrasal verb

1)Hang about / around

=wait or be present near (a place) doing nothing

There was a suspicious-looking character hanging about on the street corner.

=move slowly or take too long doing smth Don’t hang about, we have a train to catch!

2)Hang up

=put down the telephone

Please don’t hang up (on me)! I haven’t any more change to phone you back.

3)Hang on

=keep hold of smth

Hang on to the rail or you’ll fall.

=to tell smb to wait for a very short time Hang on a minute / moment / second

=continue doing smth in spite of difficulties

You must be tired, but try to hang on till all the work’s finished.

=depend on smth

The safety of air travel hangs partly on the thoroughness of luggage checking.

=pay close attention to smth

The girl admires her teacher and hangs on his every word.

4)Hang on to

=continue to have

Lots of people hang on to the childhood teddy bears.

=find support or help in

The old woman had only religion to hang on to when her family had gone.

Phrases:

get the hang of smth (infml) = begin to understand how to do smth or how to use a system, esp. by practising I’ll teach you to ride the bicycle – you’ll soon get the hang of it.

keep someone hanging on = make someone wait a long time for something you are not really going to give them He doesn’t really love her – he just keeps her hanging on.

Ex. 20. Fill in the blanks with the phrasal verb hang.

A.

1.____ to the strap! The bus is starting.

2.Can you _____ for a minute while I go and see if the manager’s in the office?

3.I can’t wait any longer. I’ve been _____ too long already.

82