Пробне ЗНО 2016

Task 1. Reading

Read the text below. Match choices (A – H) to (1 – 5). There are three choices you do not need to use.

The 5 Browns

Piano virtuosos Desirae, Deondra, Gregory, Melody, and Ryan Brown charm audiences worldwide, bringingfresh energy to the classical music genre. They sat down with two teen pianists to discuss the challenges of studying music.

1 ________

2 ________

3 ________

4 ________

5 ________

A Is someone born a great pianist, or can this be taught?

B Do you think you are good role models for talented teens today?

C What advice would you give young musicians before they go on stage?

D What is the most difficult part of making a living in music?

E Do you associate success with money?

F What would you say to teens who think that classical music is "old and boring"?

G Do you have any strange traditions you follow before a major concert?

H How have you dealt with your fame and how do you engage with audience?

Task 2. Reading

Read the text below. For questions (6 – 10) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Young Innovator Profile: Luis von Ahn

Luis von Ahn has great ambitions and a short attention span. The 29-year-old computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, prefers short stories to novels, TV shows to short stories, and the Internet to all of the above. If others share his ambitions, so much the better: he plans to involve his generation in changing the world. "The grandest projects of humanity took on the order of 100,000 people," he says. "The Panama Canal, the pyramids of Egypt. Now, for the first time in history, we can easily get more people than that working together. Imagine what we could do with 500 million people." The trick is getting them all to cooperate.

Like Tom Sawyer, von Ahn has found a simple and mischievous solution: turn the task into a game. Computer solitaire eats up billions of person-hours a year, he points out, and does nobody any good. But he says his "games with a purpose" will accomplish all sorts of useful tasks.

Players will translate documents from one language into another or make it easier for blind people to navigate the Web - all while having fun. And unless they pay attention to the fine print, they may not even know they're doing so. What excites researchers about von Ann's "human computation" work, as he calls it, is less the prospect of getting people to accomplish boring, repetitive chores than the promise of training computers to do the chores themselves. Many tasks that are easy for people are surprisingly difficult for computers, especially those that children learn easily, such as classifying objects, recognizing faces, learning verbal languages, and reading handwriting.

His "big goal," von Ahn says, is to make computers able to do anything that people can do. "I think it'll happen, definitely. If not in 50 years, then 100." In the meantime, von Ahn is teaming up with the Internet Archive, a digital library, to get computer users to help digitize old library books by, for example, typing out difficult-to-read words from scanned books when they apply for e-mail accounts. He's also working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on a game to help airport baggage screeners with their jobs by drawing their attention to important details in X-ray scans. And with graduate student Severin Hacker and programmer Michael Crawford, von Ahn is developing a game to rank pictures in a sort of aesthetic order: he plans to use the data to teach computers about beauty. So far, puppies and babies are near the top. Aesthetes might object. But von Ahn is unlikely to be discouraged.

"Luis is fearless," says Carnegie Mellon computer scientist Manuel Blum, von Ahn's former adviser. "Lie's willing to strike out in directions that few would dare to go."

6. Which of the following is stated about Luis von Ahn according to paragraph 1?

10. How does the author characterize Luis von Ahn?

Task 3. Reading

Read the texts below. Match choices (A–H) to (11–16). There are two choices you do not need to use.

College Directory

(11) ________

Wells College educates women to think critically, reason wisely, and act humanely as they cultivate meaningful lives. Through our academic program, residential atmosphere, and community' activities, you'll learn and practice the ideals of the liberal arts.

(12) ________

University of Pittsburg Bradford. Earn a world-renowned degree in a personalized environment. Work with professors who will know your name and your goals. Choose from 41 majors and many research, internship and study-abroad opportunities.

(13) ________

University of Rhode Island has a great major called "Writing and Rhetoric." Prepare yourself for a career as a journalist, a novelist, an advertising copywriter, a public relations professional, or an English teacher! You'll love our beautiful campus located minutes from RI's gorgeous beaches.

(14) ________

University of Dayton. Discover our community: a friendly campus, technology-enhanced learning, challenging academics, competitive athletics and a strong Catholic tradition.

(15) ________

Cogswell College. Launch a fun, rewarding career in special effects, animation, scripts, music and sound in movies, video games and high tech. Graduates move up to Cisco, LucasArts, Pixar, Disney, EA and other upmarket firms.

(16) ________

University of Alabama. UA has a rich tradition of excellence in academics, student life and sports. Ranked in the top 50 public universities surveyed by U.S. News & World Report; 9 undergraduate degree-granting schools and colleges; 20:1. student-teacher ratio.

Which university ________ ?

A maintains a religious atmosphere

B guarantees prestigious employment

C is gender specific

D offers studies overseas

E provides online learning

F focuses on ecological issues

G trains for working at school

H has a high official recognition

Task 4. Reading

Read the text below. Choose from (A–H) the one which best fits each space (17–22).

There are two choices you do not need to use.

What are the roots of the gap year?

The gap year itself has its roots set in post-war Britain. There was a belief that giving young people the opportunity (17) would mean a greater chance at achieving world peace as new generations gained understanding.

Some also believe the gap year to originate from the idea of the 17th century "Grand Tour" taken by the sons of aristocrats. The Grand Tour comprised up to three years travelling around Europe, (18) in order to refine their education.

As the children of the baby boomers grew up and came of age in the 1990s, there was (19). These children were encouraged by their parents to travel; an opportunity they never got themselves. However, in 1960s Britain, many school leavers went on what is now known as a "hippy trail", travelling to destinations in Asia such as India, Pakistan and Nepal. The gap travel industry has since exploded and is now (20).

Though the gap year has its origins in Britain, it is a concept which has swept the globe, with many American universities enabling their students to postpone (21). In the present day, taking a gap year has become (22) of travelling round the world before or after university or on a career break.

Task 5. USE OF ENGLISH

Read the text below. For questions (23–32) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Jeans

Jeans, (23)________ called blue jeans, were first made in the US. They are now worn all over the world. Jeans were created during the Gold Rush in the 1840s and 1850s, when many people went to the western US to (24)________ gold. Miners often lived in tents made out of a strong material and, because they (25)________ strong clothes, they began to wear trousers made of the same material. Many jeans were sold by Levi Strauss, who had a store in California, and today Levi's are (26) ________ the most famous jeans.

Traditionally, jeans are blue, but the fabric they are made of, denim (a firm cotton cloth), comes in many colors. Once it was fashionable to have bell-bottoms or flares, but nowadays people (27) ________ straight-legs. Designer jeans made by (28)________ fashion designers are sometimes worn by the rich.

For a long time jeans were worn only for physical work, but in the 1960s US society changed and young people (29)________ traditional attitudes to dress. Jeans were a symbol of these changes and became very popular. Now, people of any age wear jeans because they are comfortable, practical and cheap. In the US they can be appropriate for all but the most formal (30)________. Many people wear jeans to work, church or to (31)________ in the evening. In Britain, some restaurants and wine bars do not allow in people who are wearing jeans, and some companies do not like their (32)________ to wear jeans for work.

Task 5. USE OF ENGLISH

Read the text below. For questions (33–42) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

One Camel, Two Camel ...

Can you imagine 50,000 camels (33)________ together in one field at one time? This happens every year in Pushkar, India, and I was able (34) ________this insane festival. Picture (35) ________thing you know then multiply it (36) ________ten and what you will get is the Pushkar Camel Fair.

Everywhere I looked I saw camels. There were camels with hairdos, camels with funny noses, and camels with jewelry. (37) ________you ever seen a camel? When they chew it looks like they are chewing a bubble gum.

Language Days at the United Nations

English Language Day at the UN (38) _________ on 23 April, the date traditionally observed as (39) _________ birthday. The Day is the result of a 2010 initiative by the Department of Public Information (40) _________ language days for each of the Organization's six official languages. The purpose of the UN's language days is to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity. (41) _________ the initiative, UN duty stations around the world celebrate six (42) _________ days, each dedicated to one of the Organization's six official languages.

Writing

43. You've got a letter from your English pen-friend in which he/she complains that there has been a lot of rain in his/her region lately, so he/she can't spend much time outdoors and feels bored at home. Write a letter to your pen-friend in which you tell him/her

• whether you have a lot of spare time at present and why or why not;
• how you usually spend your free time indoors;
• your advice on how to make his/her stay at home more exciting.

Write a letter of at least 100 words. Do not use your real name or any personal information. Start your letter in an appropriate way.