Система контроля умений аудирования на среднем этапе обучения иностранному языку

For a long time while they were walking home through the rain, the boy was thinking. Then at last Tom turned to his father and asked: "Why does it rain, Father? It isn't very nice, is it?"

"No, it isn't very nice, but it's very useful, Tom," answered his father. "It rains and the fruit and vegetables grow for us and the grass grows for the cows and the sheep."

Tom thought about his father's words for a few seconds, and then he said, "Then, why does it rain on the road, Father?"

Приложение 4.

Text 4.

 

How Climate Can Influence Meals

In southern countries where there is a lot of sunlight and it is usually hot many people like eating their meals in the fresh air. In these areas people often eat under trees or big umbrellas during the day because the heat is generally very strong. While in the evening they eat under the moon and stars which produces a romantic effect on people. This, for example, is often done in Italy. The restaurants put tables in a garden or in the street and most people eat there and not inside the restaurants.

Renato was born in Italy and lived in a small town on the sea coast. When he was thirty-two he moved to London and bought a restaurant there. At first London seemed huge, grey and unfriendly to him. But by and by he began to like this city. Though he couldn't forget Italy and his home town.

So, it's not surprising that one day he put some of his tables out in the street. As you know it rains much more in England than it does in Italy. That's why Renato's idea was not really good and did not work. What happened to Mr Jenkins, a Londoner, one rainy afternoon, proves it. Mr Jenkins went to Renato's restaurant and in the evening he said to his wife, "I had lunch at that new Italian restaurant today, and it rained all the time. It took me twenty-five minutes to drink my soup."

 

Приложение 5.

Text 5.

Mice and Lions

It was a beautiful morning in early spring. The sun was shining so brightly that it was impossible to stay in. That was the reason why Tom Robinson, who was a young biology teacher, decided to take his class to London Zoo. He phoned his pupils and said that he would meet them at the Zoo. He wanted to show his class some rare species of animals, especially mammals, as that was the subject they were doing at the moment. So Tom Robinson took his class directly to the cages where animals of savannas were kept. Not far from the cages there were big baskets for rubbish, where people who bought ice creams and other things could throw the papers from them. While Tom was looking at the lions and thinking of those beautiful huge creatures he forgot about his pupils for a second. When he turned to them again, he was surprised to see that there was nobody near the lions' cages. But he was even more surprised when he saw a crowd around the rubbish basket.

He went towards the crowd. They were his class. He looked over their heads and saw — a little mouse, which was running about among the pieces of paper in the basket and looking for bits of food.

Приложение 6.

Text 6.

Why Don't We Stop Him?

The Women's Club had a meeting every Friday. And every Friday they invited someone to come and talk to them about important things. After that they had tea and asked questions.

One Friday, a gentleman came and talked to the club about different problems of ecology. He spoke about air and water pollution, acid rains and the greenhouse effect and then he mentioned the growth of population and shortage of food. "There is not enough food in the world for everybody," he said. "More than half the people in the world are hungry."

After that he spoke about cars and buses — their positive and negative effects. He said that cars bring help quickly and this is very important for the police and fire brigades and ambulances. Cars and buses do important work — they transport goods, take people to and from work. But they are dangerous, noisy, expensive and unhealthy. And there are often traffic jams. They do a lot of harm to the city atmosphere and ruin the beauty of the countryside because many new roads are built everywhere. Though the cars are very convenient and comfortable and they are much faster than trains and boats, people suffer a lot from them because nowadays people don't have much exercise. Everybody knows that it is much healthier to walk or to ride a bicycle. But fewer people every year do that. Most of us prefer to go by car. "And there are more and more cars produced each year!" the gentleman said. "Just imagine a car producer is making a car every minute day and night somewhere in the world. How can we solve the problem?" He waited for a few seconds before he continued, but beforehe began to speak again, one of the club members, a young woman had a ready answer. "Well, why don't we find that man and stop him?"

Приложение 7.

Text 7.

Apple Jam

On the last day of the term Jane decided to surprise her mother and make a few cans of apple jam. She cleared the table, piled a lot of apples on it and bravely set to work. The whole job was a bit difficult, as Jane thought, but she knew she could do it. She worked and worked with a lot of energy and a quarter of an hour later she put the cut apples on the cooker and went out to watch the telly leaving the kitchen in a terrible mess. The film was interesting, so she forgot all about the jam.

Luckily, Jane's mother returned from work a bit earlier that day. She was just in time to turn off the gas before the jam was spoiled. The kitchen looked ugly but the mother was not shocked, she didn't say anything but quietly cleared the mess, called Jane and praised her little daughter for the tasty jam.

Приложение 8.

Text 8.

Choosy Mr White

You know that the British climate is very mild and the British don't see much snow during the winter. So when it begins snowing hard it can become a real disaster.

Last winter happened to be especially frosty and one night there was a heavy snowstorm. So when Mr White woke up in the morning he saw that his garden was full of snow. The snow was so deep that Mr White couldn't take his car out. That's why he paid a man to clear the snow away from the path that led from his garage to his gate. He said to this man, "Don't throw any snow on that side, because it will spoil the bushes in my garden and they will look ugly; and don't throw any on the other side, because it will damage my fence. And don't throw any into the street, or the police will be angry." Then Mr White walked to his office and the man set to work.

When Mr White came back, the path was clean and the snow from it was not on the bushes, or the fence, or the street. Mr White was pleased until he opened the garage to get his car out.

You can imagine how shocked Mr White was when he saw that all the snow from the path was piled on top of his car. The garage was so full of it that Mr White had to dig his car from under the snow.

Приложение 9.

Text 9.

Playing with God

Neil was five years old. He lived with his parents in the North of England not far from the city of York. The place where they lived had very attractive scenery with some beautiful hills and valleys, green meadows and a wonderful river with a lot of small waterfalls. Neil and his parents loved and admired the place very much. But there was one little problem. There were no neighbours near their house and as Neil had no brothers or sisters there was nobody for the boy to play with.

Neil's father worked in the University of York and his good friend Mr Fred Brown often visited him and his family. Mr Brown was a politician and a member of the government. But as he didn't have his own children he loved to talk to Neil when he came to visit his parents.

One Sunday Mr Brown had lunch with the family and then Neil's mother went into the kitchen and washed the dishes and his father went to his study and had a very important telephone talk. "Stay here and talk to Mr Brown," Neil's father said to him.

"And show him your toys," his mother said. Neil showed Mr Brown his toys and they talked for half an hour. Then Neil said to Mr Brown, "I'm going to go out and play with God in the garden now."

Fred Brown was surprised. "How do you play with God, Neil?" he asked him.

"Oh, it's very easy but quite exciting," Neil answered. "I just throw the ball up, and then God throws it back down to me."

Приложение 10.

Text 10.

Driving to the  Royal Hotel

Paul, a businessman from France, told his friend Ian he wanted to visit London and see its places of interest. He added he was going to travel by car. Ian knew how much his friend was interested in the British Royal Family and everything connected with the crown. Ian was sure that Paul should see the official royal residence in Buckingham Palace and the rest of the palaces that the Queen owned. He advised Paul to visit the British Museum, the Tower of London and Hyde Park. But he reminded his friend that all those places were in the centre of London and driving in London was very difficult.

Paul was not afraid and said he would easily find all those places and his hotel. He was going to stay at the Royal Hotel, one of the best in the city. On his way to the hotel Paul stopped to have a look at the bright procession walking along the Mall. Paul admired the procession and even followed it in his car and then, suddenly, he understood that he had lost his way. He looked at the city map, but it didn't help much: he couldn't find his hotel. He drove round and round for an hour and then he stopped and got out of his car. A taxi came, and Paul stopped it. "Take me to the Royal Hotel," he said. But he didn't get into the taxi; he got back into his car. The taxi man laughed, but then he drove to the Royal Hotel. And Paul followed him in his car. They got to the hotel in two minutes.

Приложение 11.

Text 11.

How to Make Everybody Happy

Kevin lived in a big city and earned his living working for a large company. But Kevin didn't like living in a city. He didn't like the noise and the traffic and the crowds in the streets. He got so tired of the city that he decided to go away for a short while.

Once he decided to visit his Uncle Ronald who lived in the country and stay with him for a few weeks. It was a very good idea because Uncle Ronald lived in a wonderful little village situated on the bank of a small river. The village consisted of several twin cottages that looked exactly the same and there was a lovely church on the top of the hill. Kevin loved it there so much that he felt sorry he didn't know much about poetry, so that he could describe the countryside in a poem.

Anyway, Kevin enjoyed his stay in the country. Often he and his uncle went for a walk or for a drive in the car and Kevin was so happy that he sang at the top of his voice and Uncle Ronald sang along. They both laughed and Kevin never felt stupid. Once Kevin noticed a strange thing: whenever they passed somebody, his uncle waved. Kevin was surprised and said, "Uncle Ronald, you know everybody here! Where did you meet all these people?"

"I don't know all of them," said his uncle.

"Then, why do you wave to them?" asked Kevin.

"Well," answered his uncle, "when I wave to somebody and he knows me, he is pleased. But when I wave to someone and he doesn't know me, he is surprised and he starts asking himself, 'Who is that man? Why did he wave to me?' So he has something to think about during the rest of his journey, and the journey seems shorter to him. So I make everybody happy."

Приложение 12.

Text 12.

He Didn't Like Saying "No"

Jim and Tim were good friends. But they were very different. Jim was hardworking, smart and modest. He was a loyal friend too. But Tim was very lazy and slow, though he was devoted to Jim and kind. The contrast between the young men was so striking that people couldn't understand how Jim and Tim could be friends.

Once the two friends were camping together. They found a picturesque place at the foot of a huge rock and put up a tent there. In the evening Jim said to Tim, "Here's some money. Go to the village and buy some meat."

"I'm so tired," answered Tim. "You go." Jim didn't say a word but went to the village and bought some meat and bread. When he came back, he said to Tim, "Here's the meat. Could you, please, cook it?" But Tim answered that he wasn't good at cooking. Jim had nothing to do but cook the meat himself. Cooking the meat kept Jim so busy that he asked his friend to cut the bread. "I don't want to," answered Tim, so Jim cut the bread.

Then he said to Tim, "I'd like you to go and get some water, please."

"No, I don't want to get my clothes dirty," Tim answered, so Jim got the water.

Finally Jim said, "The meal is ready. Come and eat it." "Well, I'll do that," answered Tim. "I don't like saying 'No' all the time."

Приложение 13.

Text 13.

Three Answers

Ed Newby was a very smart journalist and worked for a popular newspaper. As a journalist Ed had to travel a lot. He had been to the most picturesque places of the world, climbed high rocky mountains, taken part in rescue expeditions, crossed dangerous rivers and streams and wrote about all that in his articles. He was very nice and strikingly modest. But Ed had one weak point: he liked arguing very much. He argued with anybody and about anything. Sometimes the people whom he argued with were as smart as he was, but often they were not.

When arguing with stupid people Ed realized that they sometimes said very unusual and funny things.

Once Ed had an argument with a man who was not very clever. At the end of the argument the man said something which Ed couldn't forget. He said, "Well, sir, you should never forget this: there are always three answers to every question: your answer, my answer, and the correct answer."

 

Приложение 14.

Text 14.

How Had We All Met?

When Dick was six years old, he went and stayed with his great-grandparents on their farm for a few weeks in the summer. The farm was situated on the bank of the mighty Mississippi which rises in the north of the US. Dick talked a lot with his great-grandmother while he was there, and she told him a lot of interesting things about their family which he had not known before. When he came home again to his own parents, who lived in New York, the city of skyscrapers, he said to his father, "Is it true that I was born on the shores of Lake Michigan?"

"Yes, it is, Dick," his father answered.

"And were you really born in Germany?" Dick asked.

"Yes, that's right," his father answered. "I was."

"And is it true that Mummy was born in Ireland, in a small village on the coast of the Irish Sea?" Dick continued.

His father said, "Yes, it is. It was a very small village then without any attractions but for beautiful green meadows stretching for long distances and a small chain of hills. But why are you asking me all these questions?"

Dick answered, "Because when Granny told me all those things while I was with her, I couldn't understand how we had all met with such a mixture of birthplaces."

 

 

Приложение 15.

Text 15.

How He Saved 5 Pounds

Henry was a major in the US Army. He was a very good officer: he could shoot well and he liked his soldiers and his soldiers respected him.

Once Henry decided to go away for a holiday. His friends encouraged him to go to a faraway country and take a chance to do some sightseeing. So Henry went to Great Britain.

It was a long journey and when Henry came to London he didn't feel well. He asked the clerk in the hotel where he was staying to give him the name of a good doctor, whom he could trust.

The clerk looked in a book and then said, "Dr Martin Smith. He was educated in Oxford and all his patients like him for his wisdom and honesty."

Henry said, "Thank you very much. Is he expensive?"

"Well," the clerk answered, "his patients pay him 15 pounds for their first visit to him, and 10 pounds for later visits."

Henry was a little greedy, besides he didn't have enough money, so he decided to save 5 pounds. When he went to see the doctor in his private office he pushed the door and said, "I've come again, doctor."

For a few seconds the doctor looked at his face carefully and didn't say anything. Then he nodded and said, "Oh, yes." The doctor examined Henry and then said, "Everything is going on just fine. Continue to take the medicine I gave you last time."

Приложение 16.

Text 16.

It's No Good to Be a Workaholic

An important businessman went to see the doctor whom he trusted and said he could not sleep at night. The doctor examined him carefully and then declared his decision. "Your trouble is that you need to learn to relax. Concentrate on pleasant things. Your business is prosperous. There is nothing to worry about. Have you got any hobbies?"

The businessman thought for a few moments and then said, "No, doctor, I haven't. I don't have any time for hobbies." That was a striking answer.

The doctor looked at the businessman and said, "That is your main trouble, you see. You don't have time for anything except your work. No matter how hard you work you should rest and have some hobbies. Why don't you find some hobbies? Why don't you go to some picturesque place in Scotland, for example? The scenery is beautiful there: high mountains, romantic valleys with streams and small rivers, a lot of wild flowers along the paths. Or why don't you learn to paint pictures? If you don't find some hobbies and don't learn to relax with them, you will be buried in less than five years."

"All right, doctor," the businessman said. "I'll try that."

The next day he telephoned the doctor and said, "That was a very smart idea, doctor. Thank you very much. I've already painted fifteen pictures since I saw you."

Приложение 17.

Text 17.

Worse Than a Small Child

Mr and Mrs Harris had four children. One Saturday Mrs Harris thought that it would be a good idea to take the children to a funfair in the park. At first Mr Harris didn't want to go: he worked five days a week except Saturdays and Sundays and got very tired. But Mrs Harris and the children were very eager to go. Naturally, Mr Harris had to agree. He took out his automobile and the family drove to the park. The territory of the park was vast and very beautiful.

Mr Harris was forty-seven years old but he enjoyed the funfair more than the children. He ate a lot of sweets, nuts, apricots, peaches and ices. He went from one ride to another. Most of all he liked the roller coaster and least of all — the shooting competition. But generally he enjoyed every minute of it.

Mrs Harris and the children looked at him in surprise and then one of the children said to her mother, "Daddy's just like a small child, isn't he, Mummy?"

Mrs Harris was quite tired after she had followed her husband from one ride to another, and she answered, "He's worse than a small child, Mary, because he's got his own money."

 

Приложение 18.

Text 18.

He Never Told a Lie

Once there lived a teacher who had worked at school for very many years. He was an extremely good teacher but then he became old and retired. Now he had a lot of free time and often went for a walk in the park. This was the most suitable place to escape from the city noise.

One day, he was taking his usual walk in the park and noticed a group of young boys standing near the bushes. In one of the bushes there was a graceful small cat that resembled his own cat Pussy. The old gentleman came to the boys and asked what was happening. One of the boys explained to him, "We are having a competition. We're telling lies, and the one who tells the biggest lie will keep the cat."

The old gentleman was just like all grown-ups: he thought it was a good chance to teach the boys a useful lesson, so he said to them, "This is quite an extraordinary competition. But you know, boys, I've never told a lie in my life." All at once there was a great laughter from the boys, and they cried, "You've won! Now you can take the cat."

 

Приложение 19.  

Text 19.

Don't Speak Too Soon

Jack was a young man. He worked in an office. Every day Jack looked through a lot of mail: telegrams, telexes, periodicals and official papers. He often got tired and used to say, "Sitting on a chair for eight hours every day and then sitting at home in the evening is not very good for health."

Every summer during a holiday he went to some faraway picturesque places by train and then walked every day for five or six hours or rode a horse.

Last spring he took a map to his stepbrother Nick, and said, "Nick, you've been to many continents and countries. You have walked the Alps and the Rockies. I am going to America in August and I would like to walk from this place to this place on the day of my arrival." And Jack showed Nick the places on the map. "Can I borrow your rucksack?" Jack asked.

"You certainly can," answered Nick. "But how can you do it in one day? The map is flat and the mountains are not."

 

 

Text 20.

While Australia is famous for its many wonderful native animals, for example the kangaroo and the koala, it also has some less attractive animals, many of which were actually brought to Australia in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Perhaps the most well known introduced animal is the rabbit, brought originally by the early settlers for food. Another animal introduced by the settlers was the fox for the fox hunting.

But one of the most unusual animals ever brought here was the cane toad. It is a large, and some people would say, very ugly species of toad. It was imported to Australia by the sugar cane farmers in 1935 to reduce the amount of the beetle which kills the sugar cane plant.

The cane beetle is the natural enemy of the sugar cane plant. It lives in the cane and drops eggs onto the ground around the plant. In the beginning of the 20th century there was a great population of cane beetles in Australia and farmers decided to get rid of them. So they decided to import the sugar cane toad to kill the beetles and took one hundred of them from Hawaii.

As predicted the toads started to breed successfully and there were many of them in a short time. But there was one serious problem: they did not eat the beetles. And the reason for this was that toads lived on insects that they found on the ground. And the cane beetle lives on the top of the cane plant and toads don't need to eat them. In fact they never come into contact with each other.

So the cane toad has turned useless in the natural environment of Australia.

 

Приложение 21.

Text 21.

This is a short talk about the journey we are going. First, where are we off to? Well, we'll be travelling up North to view the beautiful sights of Western Australia, including the Pinnacles, Dongara to Monkey Mia, Danham, Shark Bay, and finally Kalbarri. On our return we'll stop in Geraldton, Port Gregory and Northampton before we return to Perth.

Our packed journey will last 5 days - leaving Perth at 6.15 am on April 17th and returning to Perth at about 8.30 pm on the 20th of April.

On the way we will stop at a number of tourist sites including the Pinnacles, which is a fascinating collection of geological formations created by wind erosion. Then we will visit a number of beautiful beaches before arriving at Monkey Mia, where you will be able to touch and feed dolphins as well as take a boat trip to view dungeons in the wild.

 

Приложение 22. 

Text 22.

I: Today we will talk about the International Space Station. It is a laboratory 350 kilometres above the Earth. But what exactly is it and who is behind it? We welcome DrRitcher who is a specialist in space research.