I. Listen to the text and complete the sentences.

1. David Copperfield was born on ____________.

1. a Friday, at twelve o’clock at night

2. a Friday, at night

3. a Wednesday at twelve o’clock at night

2. David Copperfield has been informed that the clock began to strike, and he began to cry, ____________.

1. after this moment of time.

2. at exactly the same moment of time.

3. just before this moment of strike.

3. David’s father had been dead ___________ when he opened his eyes on the world.

1. half a month

2. half a year

3. six months

4. The only relative of David’s family was Miss Betsey Trotwood; _________

1. a quick-tempered and difficult person

2. a quick-tempered but kind person

3. a quick-tempered person

II. Point out true statements.

1. There is something strange to David Copperfield in the reflection that his father saw him once.

2. David used to feel for his dead father lying out there in the cold and the dark, when their little house was not warm and bright.

3. David’s father had once been a favourite of his aunt Miss Betsey Trotwood, but she was annoyed by his marriage.

4. When Miss Betsey Trotwood heard that David had arrived, she put on her hat, walked out, and never came back any more.

5. The first clear picture David Copperfield has, as he looks back, is of his mother with her red hair and beautiful shape.

6. Peggotty, David’s nurse, was a woman with no shape at all, and her cheeks and arms were so hard and red.

III Choose the appropriate form of the verb. (Complex Subject)

1. The new rocket … to go into operation.

1. reported

2. is reported

3. will report

4. reports

2) The discussion … to be coming to an end.

1. will seem

2. seemed

3. was seemed

4. is seemed

3. That power station … to be situated on the River Dnieper.

1. is known

2. knows

3. was known

4. knew

3. The poem … to have been written by Byron.

1. was believed

2. is believed

3. believes

4. believed

5) He … to be an ideal person.

1. is appeared

2. was appeared

3. appeared

4. appears

IV Choose the correct form of the Gerund.

1. Going to the party was no use: he had no talent for … .

1. being danced

2. dancing

3. having danced

4. having been danced

2. She tried to avoid … to.

1. speaking

2. having been spoken

3. being spoken

4. having spoken

3. He was very glad of … in his difficulty.

а )having been helped с) being helped

b)helping d) having helped

TEST 4

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

What else do I remember? Let me see.

There comes out of the cloud, our house, with all the windows standing open to let in the sweet-smelling summer air, and the garden at the back where the fruit hangs thick on the trees, riper and richer to me than fruit has ever been since in any other garden. A great wind rises, and the summer is gone in a moment. We are playing on a winter’s evening, dancing about the parlour. When my mother is out of breath and sits down by the fire to rest, I watch her winding her bright curls round her fingers, and straightening her dress, and nobody knows better than I do that she likes to look so well, and is proud of being so pretty. I have good reason to remember one evening when Peggotty and I were sitting by the fire alone. It was well after my bedtime, but I had permission to sit up until my mother came home from spending the evening at a neighbour’s. I had grown tired and dead sleepy, but I would rather have died (of course) than have gone to bed.

We both jumped when the garden-bell rang. We went out to the door, and there was my mother, looking unusually pretty, I thought. Standing at her side was a gentleman with beautiful black hair and whiskers, who had walked home with us from church last Sunday.

My mother took me in her arms and kissed me. The gentleman patted me on the head, but I didn’t like him or his deep voice, and I was jealous that his hand should touch my mother’s in touching me. I pushed it away, as well as I could.

“Dear boy!” said the gentleman. “I cannot wonder that he is jealous of so lovely a mother!”

I never saw such a beautiful colour on my mother’s face before. She thanked the gentleman for bringing her home, and, when she put out her hand, I saw him kiss her little glove. He tried to shake me by the hand, but I would not let him. He laughed, said that I was a brave fellow, and went away.

Gradually, since he came often after that, I became used to seeing the gentleman with the black whiskers, whose name, I learnt, was Murdstone. I liked him no better than at first, and had the same uneasy jealousy of him, for which there was no reason beyond a child’s dislike.