Reading
My grandmother’s real name is Helen Elaine. She goes by Elaine. She uses her middle name not to be confused during family get-togethers, because her mother, her dad’s sister and her uncle’s wife were all named Helen.
She was born April 8, 1933 in Guide Rock, Nebraska on a farm. She had an older sister and two younger brothers.
She studied at school which was far from her farm. The children walked three miles to school and three miles back. During the summer the walk wasn’t bad, but in winter their feet would freeze! When they got to the one-room schoolhouse the teacher would always bring Elaine a bucket of warm water to soak her feet. Since it only had one room, they interacted with the older kids, which was nice because they got to hear them recite.
When my Granny got home she had chores to do. All the children had specific tasks. Together with her sister she cleaned the dining room, which had hardwood floors like every room in the house. She was always upset because she had to wax the floors on her hands and knees and dust the furniture. Her sister, since she was older, only had to dust the shelves. After their chores were done, they sat down as a family to eat. Then, she had to dry the dishes. The father always sent Elaine to her room for bed at 6.30. She was never able to figure out what you would call her room. I guess you would call it a closet.
In high school there were no athletics for girls. Boys had football, basketball and track. There were school dances, but not as fancy as the ones we have. Elaine never really had enough rhythm to dance, but she tried!
After high school she worked at the Farmers Union Creamery as a secretary. One day her boss came to her and said that she was going to college.
He made the arrangements and drove her to a college 150 miles away. She still does not know where the money came from. Her major was home economics education. As a student she worked at the creamery, and also at the cafeteria at the school.
Elaine became a home economics teacher and taught this subject for 30 years.
She married a nice man and had five lovely kids and now she has nine beautiful grandchildren. Elaine is very proud of her family.
There were many funny times when her children were growing up. Once her son Danny told his sister Cathy that the cigarette lighter in the car smelled like cherries and she burnt her nose. At the time those moments weren’t as funny as they are now when Elaine look back on them. All of this was worth the problems she struggled with growing up.
Test
1. The girl’s grandmother goes by the name of Elaine because she wanted to avoid confusion with other female members in the family.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
2. Elaine liked primary school because she could be alone at least on the way to school.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
3. Among Elaine’s chores was waxing the floors.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
4. Her room was like a closet.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
5. When in high school Elaine could not learn to play basketball.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
6. Her boss gave her money and she got a chance to go to college.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
7. She majored in economics.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
8. She met her husband at the creamery. He was a nice man.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
9. Elaine had a big family, and remembering her kids growing up she feels sorry she had so many children.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
10. One day her children found a cigarette and burnt it in the car.
a) true
b) false
c) not stated
Task 2
Reading
For questions 1- 12, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning. Fill in the table below.
Charles Dickens' childhood experiences
Charles Dickens was one of the greatest nineteenth-century English novelists. At the time of (0).....his.....death in 1870 he was a wealthy man, in contrast to the poverty of his early days. His parents (1).....their best to look after him but were always in difficulties (2).....money. Eventually, his father owed (3).....a large amount of money that he was sent to prison for three months.
Two days after his twelfth birthday, Dickens was taken away from school by his parents and made (4).....work in a factory to increase the family income.
Factories could be dangerous places in (5).....days and some employers were cruel. Charles was not (6).....extremely unhappy, but also ashamed of working there, and he (7).....never forget that period of his life. In his novels Dickens showed just how shocking working and living conditions were.
Working in the factory affected him so deeply that he found (8).....much too painful to speak about in later life. His own wife and children knew (9).....at all about the unhappiness of his childhood while Dickens was still alive, (10).....shortly after his death a biography was published in (11).....Dickens' terrible childhood experiences in the factory were revealed (12).....the first time.
Lexical-Grammar Test
1. Use the correct forms of the verbs in brackets:
1) The holidays (to begin) last week.
2) He (to know) the history of Belarus very well.
3) Let's come to my place. I (to show) you my new discs.
4) Is father at home? - No, he ( not, to come ) yet.
5) I can not hear what you (to say). Say it again.
6) Every summer they (to go) fishing with their friends.
2. Put the prepositions where necessary:
1) Kate stayed - home - last weekend. She helped - her mother - the house.
2) Can you come to see me - Sunday? Some - our friends will come too.
3) Our classes finish - two o'clock. I’ll go - the library - classes today. Do you want to come - me?
3. Put questions to the following sentences:
1) They usually play in the yard in the afternoon. (General)
2) She doesn't speak good English. (Disjunctive)
3) Yesterday he came home from school at 7 o'clock. (Alternative)
4) They are working in the garden now. (Who...?)
5) She will meet her friend at the station. (Special)
4. There is one mistake in each of the following sentences. Find and correct it.
1. Is somebody absent today?
2. Who is your better friend?
3. Have you ever were to London?
4. The lake Naroch is very beautiful in summer.
5. Did your cat caught a mouse yesterday?
5. Put the words in the correct order to make sentences:
1) have, we, animals, to, protect, did, rare ?
2) town, Belarus, day-off, in, last, visited, we, oldest, the.
3) writing, she, something, her, in, is, exercise-book.
4) easy, our, the, gave, an, to, test, teacher, class.
