(Копія) Контроль читання (Reading) Variant II

Read the article.

                                                         Flood

Flood is a body of water that covers normally dry land. Most floods are harmful. They may destroy homes and other property and even carry off the topsoil, leaving the land bar­ren. Sudden and violent floods, which leave people little time to prepare, may bring huge losses. Rivers, lakes, or seas may flood the land. River floods are more common, though lake and seacoast floods can be more serious.

However, sometimes floods may be helpful. For example, the yearly floods of the Nile River built up the plains of Egypt and made the Nile Valley one of the most fertile regions in the world. These floods brought fertile soil from lands far to the south and deposited the soil on the Egyptian plains.

Most rivers overflow their normal channels about once every two years. When a river overflows land where people live, it causes a flood. Common causes of river floods include two much rain at one time and sudden melting of snow and ice.

Under such conditions, rivers may receive more than 10 times as much water as their beds can hold. Heavy rains, sometimes from thunderstorms, can produce flash floods if small rivers or streams rise suddenly and overflow. Flash floods occur chiefly in moun­tainous areas and do not allow much time for people to be warned of danger.

A flash flood at Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1972 killed 238 people along the Rapid Creek. Minor causes of flooding include bridges, piers, filled land, sand bars, and other obstacles to river waters.

In 1993 heavy rains in Midwest for about two months resulted in flooding along the upper Mississippi and the Missouri river system. The flood caused about 15 billion USD worth of damage and forced about 75,000 people from their homes.

The Huang He (Yellow River) in China is known for its tendency to overflow its banks. The river has been called 'China's sorrow' because its floods cause such a great destruc­tion. The worst Huang He flood ever recorded occurred in 1887. Nearly a million of people died in China after the river overflowed its banks.

•  Put the statements in the correct order according to what the article says. Number them (1-6).

Read the text.

History of the Hamburger

The roots of a modern hamburger go back to the German city of Hamburg. According to historians, German immigrants to the United States brought the recipe for a dish of raw chopped beef mixed with egg. The Germans learned about the dish, now called Steak Tartar, from the Russian sailors who visited Hamburg and brought along an appetite for food from their homeland. The Russians apparently learned about the dish from the Tartars.

The first documented mention of a hamburg steak in the United States was in the 1830s. In 1896, a hamburger was included in the famous cookbook of Boston chef Fannie Farmer for the first time.

More than one person has claimed to be the creator of the modern hamburger sandwich. At various times in the late 1800s and early 1900s, cooks from Wisconsin, Connecticut, Ohio, and Texas boasted of inventing the hamburger.

The most widely reported story about the origin of the hamburger comes from the 1904 World's Fair. Fletcher Davis and his wife from Athens set up a food counter and sold ham­burgers with hot mustard and a slice of onion. An article about the fair in St Louis was published in a New York newspaper, and it mentioned the sale of hamburgers but failed to include the name of the cook. Since then, the whole world has come to know the ham­burger, but no one will ever know with absolute certainty, who really created it!

• Choose the correct answer.

1. Where were the ancestors of the modern hamburgers from?

Read the text.

History of the Hamburger

The roots of a modern hamburger go back to the German city of Hamburg. According to historians, German immigrants to the United States brought the recipe for a dish of raw chopped beef mixed with egg. The Germans learned about the dish, now called Steak Tartar, from the Russian sailors who visited Hamburg and brought along an appetite for food from their homeland. The Russians apparently learned about the dish from the Tartars.

The first documented mention of a hamburg steak in the United States was in the 1830s. In 1896, a hamburger was included in the famous cookbook of Boston chef Fannie Farmer for the first time.

More than one person has claimed to be the creator of the modern hamburger sandwich. At various times in the late 1800s and early 1900s, cooks from Wisconsin, Connecticut, Ohio, and Texas boasted of inventing the hamburger.

The most widely reported story about the origin of the hamburger comes from the 1904 World's Fair. Fletcher Davis and his wife from Athens set up a food counter and sold ham­burgers with hot mustard and a slice of onion. An article about the fair in St Louis was published in a New York newspaper, and it mentioned the sale of hamburgers but failed to include the name of the cook. Since then, the whole world has come to know the ham­burger, but no one will ever know with absolute certainty, who really created it!

• Choose the correct answer.

  2. How did the dish, now called Steak Tartar, come to Germany?

Read the text.

History of the Hamburger

The roots of a modern hamburger go back to the German city of Hamburg. According to historians, German immigrants to the United States brought the recipe for a dish of raw chopped beef mixed with egg. The Germans learned about the dish, now called Steak Tartar, from the Russian sailors who visited Hamburg and brought along an appetite for food from their homeland. The Russians apparently learned about the dish from the Tartars.

The first documented mention of a hamburg steak in the United States was in the 1830s. In 1896, a hamburger was included in the famous cookbook of Boston chef Fannie Farmer for the first time.

More than one person has claimed to be the creator of the modern hamburger sandwich. At various times in the late 1800s and early 1900s, cooks from Wisconsin, Connecticut, Ohio, and Texas boasted of inventing the hamburger.

The most widely reported story about the origin of the hamburger comes from the 1904 World's Fair. Fletcher Davis and his wife from Athens set up a food counter and sold ham­burgers with hot mustard and a slice of onion. An article about the fair in St Louis was published in a New York newspaper, and it mentioned the sale of hamburgers but failed to include the name of the cook. Since then, the whole world has come to know the ham­burger, but no one will ever know with absolute certainty, who really created it!

• Choose the correct answer.

3.  Where was a hamburg steak recipe written down first?

Read the text.

History of the Hamburger

The roots of a modern hamburger go back to the German city of Hamburg. According to historians, German immigrants to the United States brought the recipe for a dish of raw chopped beef mixed with egg. The Germans learned about the dish, now called Steak Tartar, from the Russian sailors who visited Hamburg and brought along an appetite for food from their homeland. The Russians apparently learned about the dish from the Tartars.

The first documented mention of a hamburg steak in the United States was in the 1830s. In 1896, a hamburger was included in the famous cookbook of Boston chef Fannie Farmer for the first time.

More than one person has claimed to be the creator of the modern hamburger sandwich. At various times in the late 1800s and early 1900s, cooks from Wisconsin, Connecticut, Ohio, and Texas boasted of inventing the hamburger.

The most widely reported story about the origin of the hamburger comes from the 1904 World's Fair. Fletcher Davis and his wife from Athens set up a food counter and sold ham­burgers with hot mustard and a slice of onion. An article about the fair in St Louis was published in a New York newspaper, and it mentioned the sale of hamburgers but failed to include the name of the cook. Since then, the whole world has come to know the ham­burger, but no one will ever know with absolute certainty, who really created it!

• Choose the correct answer.

4.  Who has claimed to be the creator of the modern hamburger sandwich?            

Read the text.

History of the Hamburger

The roots of a modern hamburger go back to the German city of Hamburg. According to historians, German immigrants to the United States brought the recipe for a dish of raw chopped beef mixed with egg. The Germans learned about the dish, now called Steak Tartar, from the Russian sailors who visited Hamburg and brought along an appetite for food from their homeland. The Russians apparently learned about the dish from the Tartars.

The first documented mention of a hamburg steak in the United States was in the 1830s. In 1896, a hamburger was included in the famous cookbook of Boston chef Fannie Farmer for the first time.

More than one person has claimed to be the creator of the modern hamburger sandwich. At various times in the late 1800s and early 1900s, cooks from Wisconsin, Connecticut, Ohio, and Texas boasted of inventing the hamburger.

The most widely reported story about the origin of the hamburger comes from the 1904 World's Fair. Fletcher Davis and his wife from Athens set up a food counter and sold ham­burgers with hot mustard and a slice of onion. An article about the fair in St Louis was published in a New York newspaper, and it mentioned the sale of hamburgers but failed to include the name of the cook. Since then, the whole world has come to know the ham­burger, but no one will ever know with absolute certainty, who really created it!

• Choose the correct answer.

5.  Where were hamburgers sold in 1904? 

Read the text.

History of the Hamburger

The roots of a modern hamburger go back to the German city of Hamburg. According to historians, German immigrants to the United States brought the recipe for a dish of raw chopped beef mixed with egg. The Germans learned about the dish, now called Steak Tartar, from the Russian sailors who visited Hamburg and brought along an appetite for food from their homeland. The Russians apparently learned about the dish from the Tartars.

The first documented mention of a hamburg steak in the United States was in the 1830s. In 1896, a hamburger was included in the famous cookbook of Boston chef Fannie Farmer for the first time.

More than one person has claimed to be the creator of the modern hamburger sandwich. At various times in the late 1800s and early 1900s, cooks from Wisconsin, Connecticut, Ohio, and Texas boasted of inventing the hamburger.

The most widely reported story about the origin of the hamburger comes from the 1904 World's Fair. Fletcher Davis and his wife from Athens set up a food counter and sold ham­burgers with hot mustard and a slice of onion. An article about the fair in St Louis was published in a New York newspaper, and it mentioned the sale of hamburgers but failed to include the name of the cook. Since then, the whole world has come to know the ham­burger, but no one will ever know with absolute certainty, who really created it!

• Choose the correct answer.

What did a New York newspaper fail to mention about the fair in St Louis?