Задание 30. Прочитайте текст и кратко изложите его содержание.
HRH Prince of Wales speaks about education
Education has long been something of great personal interest to me. For example, for many years I supported the United World Colleges movement, which does so much to develop opportunities for deserving students around the world, and to promote the sort of cross-cultural exchange that is the currency of modern life. For the past 20 years, as Chairman of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, I have been enormously encouraged by the growth in the number of scholars from overseas who have been enabled to study at Cambridge University. And, more recently, as Vice Patron of the British Council, I have been delighted to see the expansion of its work in encouraging international students to study in the United Kingdom.
The United Kingdom already enjoys strong ties with international communities, and continues to value its overseas visitors who contribute so much to the rich racial and cultural diversity of this nation. Universities, in particular, form an integral part of our cultural heritage. Having myself studied at Cambridge and The University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and as a regular visitor to universities across the country, I am fortunate to have experienced at first hand the extensive wealth of knowledge, the variety of cultures and religions and the lively open debate that make the United Kingdom's academic institutions such extraordinary places.
The United Kingdom offers a unique environment for learning and development, which is why so many international students come here and why international companies choose to invest here. In choosing to study in the United Kingdom, I hope that your experience will provide you with the vital foundation for success on whatever path you decide to follow.
HRH The Prince of Wales, Vice Patron of the British Council
Тема: Жизнь в большом городе и экологические проблемы больших городов
Environmental Pollution
Задание 1. Прочитайте текст 1 и текст 2.
Сделайте сравнительный анализ состояния окружающей среды в далеком прошлом и в наше время. Найдите ответ на вопросы: кто виноват? и как спасти нашу планету от экологической катастрофы? Напишите эссе (краткое сочинение) на тему: «Экологические проблемы больших городов и возможности их решения».
Текст 1
The First Americans. A Brief History
By Carmel Underwood and Robert Underwood
Thousand of years ago, a land mass connected Asia and North America between what is now known as the Bering Strait, joining Siberia to Alaska. Animals crossed this land bridge, and hunters, probably travelling in small bands, followed them. Descendants of these hunters, the original inhabitants of the Americas, later developed into the great nations and cultures of the First Americans. Some groups followed down the coast through present day Alaska, Canada, California, and Central America, and on to the southern tip of South America. Some time between 11,000 and 18,000 BC both North and South America were peopled by what we in the United States now call native Americans, or American Indians.
Eventually, many groups of First Americans tired of chasing the migrating herds of animals and settled in desirable locations throughout the American continent. They built cities, cultivated and grew crops such as beans, corn, potatoes, squash, and tobacco, and formed tribes that shared beliefs, values, and laws. In what is now the United States, diverse cultures evolved and thrived, often as a result of location, climate, and environment. The natural resources of the Americas – the forest, waterways, planes, and mountains – were not only vital to the early Americans’ existence but also greatly influenced their cultures and languages. Religious beliefs and the ceremonies that sprang from them were often derived from nature, and they played a key role in daily life. And people strove to live in piece with nature. There was enough space, air, water, natural food and shelter for everyone.