(Копія) Reading Test (2nd term) Form 11 (2026)

Task 1. Complete the text with the missing sentences. There are two sentences you do not need. (fill in the gap marked in blue ____)
Доповнити текст реченнями за змістом. Заповнити виділений блакитним пропуск. Два речення є зайвими.

Have a laugh!

It's no secret that laughing is good for us. It gives our immune system a boost, reducing stress hormones and (1) ________________________. It relaxes our muscles and strengthens our heart. Then, of course, laughter releases feel-good hormones that make us feel happier. Humour helps us ride the waves of life's ups and downs; it turns us into more easy-going people and breaks the ice with others.

However, (2) ________________________ or you just don't get other people's jokes? What if you are an intensely serious person who finds life more tragic than comic or who is more likely to be hot-tempered and moody when things go wrong than to slap your forehead and laugh? Can you learn to take life less seriously and lighten up?

According to some comedians, people can actually learn to be funny – perhaps not fall-off-your-chair funny, but at least able to admit that things are ridiculous rather than absolutely terrible. For those with a natural talent for being funny there are even stand-up comedy clinics (3) ________________________. Stand-up teachers turn the art of comedy into a science and design games, such as ones in which students have to improvise, to get students to be more creative. Students are given the tools to write great jokes even when they are struggling to come up with ideas of their own.

However, if you don't have your sights set on entertaining an audience but would simply like to laugh more, there are some easy ways (4) ________________________. If you are feeling dull or irritated, getting together with friends to watch a comedy could be just the thing to liven you up. Additionally, make sure that if you have a tendency to see the depressing side of life, you include funny people in your circle of friends. Funny people can influence you to find humour in the simplest of things. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, for example, manages (5) ________________________ in a supermarket into a hilarious sketch.

Watching comedies and telling jokes is not the only way to cheer us up and make us laugh. There are countless ways to lighten up a day, like playing games with friends or doing fun activities like going swimming, playing board games or music with friends or (6) ________________________.

For those (7) ____________, there are even laughing yoga classes, which are based on the idea that laughter is catching.

Task 1. Complete the text with the missing sentences. There are two sentences you do not need. (fill in the gap marked in blue ____)
Доповнити текст реченнями за змістом. Заповнити виділений блакитним пропуск. Два речення є зайвими.

Have a laugh!

It's no secret that laughing is good for us. It gives our immune system a boost, reducing stress hormones and (1) ________________________. It relaxes our muscles and strengthens our heart. Then, of course, laughter releases feel-good hormones that make us feel happier. Humour helps us ride the waves of life's ups and downs; it turns us into more easy-going people and breaks the ice with others.

However, (2) ________________________ or you just don't get other people's jokes? What if you are an intensely serious person who finds life more tragic than comic or who is more likely to be hot-tempered and moody when things go wrong than to slap your forehead and laugh? Can you learn to take life less seriously and lighten up?

According to some comedians, people can actually learn to be funny – perhaps not fall-off-your-chair funny, but at least able to admit that things are ridiculous rather than absolutely terrible. For those with a natural talent for being funny there are even stand-up comedy clinics (3) ________________________. Stand-up teachers turn the art of comedy into a science and design games, such as ones in which students have to improvise, to get students to be more creative. Students are given the tools to write great jokes even when they are struggling to come up with ideas of their own.

However, if you don't have your sights set on entertaining an audience but would simply like to laugh more, there are some easy ways (4) ________________________. If you are feeling dull or irritated, getting together with friends to watch a comedy could be just the thing to liven you up. Additionally, make sure that if you have a tendency to see the depressing side of life, you include funny people in your circle of friends. Funny people can influence you to find humour in the simplest of things. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, for example, manages (5) ________________________ in a supermarket into a hilarious sketch.

Watching comedies and telling jokes is not the only way to cheer us up and make us laugh. There are countless ways to lighten up a day, like playing games with friends or doing fun activities like going swimming, playing board games or music with friends or (6) ________________________.

For those (7) ____________, there are even laughing yoga classes, which are based on the idea that laughter is catching.

Task 1. Complete the text with the missing sentences. There are two sentences you do not need. (fill in the gap marked in blue ____)
Доповнити текст реченнями за змістом. Заповнити виділений блакитним пропуск. Два речення є зайвими.

Have a laugh!

It's no secret that laughing is good for us. It gives our immune system a boost, reducing stress hormones and (1) ________________________. It relaxes our muscles and strengthens our heart. Then, of course, laughter releases feel-good hormones that make us feel happier. Humour helps us ride the waves of life's ups and downs; it turns us into more easy-going people and breaks the ice with others.

However, (2) ________________________ or you just don't get other people's jokes? What if you are an intensely serious person who finds life more tragic than comic or who is more likely to be hot-tempered and moody when things go wrong than to slap your forehead and laugh? Can you learn to take life less seriously and lighten up?

According to some comedians, people can actually learn to be funny – perhaps not fall-off-your-chair funny, but at least able to admit that things are ridiculous rather than absolutely terrible. For those with a natural talent for being funny there are even stand-up comedy clinics (3) ________________________. Stand-up teachers turn the art of comedy into a science and design games, such as ones in which students have to improvise, to get students to be more creative. Students are given the tools to write great jokes even when they are struggling to come up with ideas of their own.

However, if you don't have your sights set on entertaining an audience but would simply like to laugh more, there are some easy ways (4) ________________________. If you are feeling dull or irritated, getting together with friends to watch a comedy could be just the thing to liven you up. Additionally, make sure that if you have a tendency to see the depressing side of life, you include funny people in your circle of friends. Funny people can influence you to find humour in the simplest of things. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, for example, manages (5) ________________________ in a supermarket into a hilarious sketch.

Watching comedies and telling jokes is not the only way to cheer us up and make us laugh. There are countless ways to lighten up a day, like playing games with friends or doing fun activities like going swimming, playing board games or music with friends or (6) ________________________.

For those (7) ____________, there are even laughing yoga classes, which are based on the idea that laughter is catching.

Task 1. Complete the text with the missing sentences. There are two sentences you do not need. (fill in the gap marked in blue ____)
Доповнити текст реченнями за змістом. Заповнити виділений блакитним пропуск. Два речення є зайвими.

Have a laugh!

It's no secret that laughing is good for us. It gives our immune system a boost, reducing stress hormones and (1) ________________________. It relaxes our muscles and strengthens our heart. Then, of course, laughter releases feel-good hormones that make us feel happier. Humour helps us ride the waves of life's ups and downs; it turns us into more easy-going people and breaks the ice with others.

However, (2) ________________________ or you just don't get other people's jokes? What if you are an intensely serious person who finds life more tragic than comic or who is more likely to be hot-tempered and moody when things go wrong than to slap your forehead and laugh? Can you learn to take life less seriously and lighten up?

According to some comedians, people can actually learn to be funny – perhaps not fall-off-your-chair funny, but at least able to admit that things are ridiculous rather than absolutely terrible. For those with a natural talent for being funny there are even stand-up comedy clinics (3) ________________________. Stand-up teachers turn the art of comedy into a science and design games, such as ones in which students have to improvise, to get students to be more creative. Students are given the tools to write great jokes even when they are struggling to come up with ideas of their own.

However, if you don't have your sights set on entertaining an audience but would simply like to laugh more, there are some easy ways (4) ________________________. If you are feeling dull or irritated, getting together with friends to watch a comedy could be just the thing to liven you up. Additionally, make sure that if you have a tendency to see the depressing side of life, you include funny people in your circle of friends. Funny people can influence you to find humour in the simplest of things. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, for example, manages (5) ________________________ in a supermarket into a hilarious sketch.

Watching comedies and telling jokes is not the only way to cheer us up and make us laugh. There are countless ways to lighten up a day, like playing games with friends or doing fun activities like going swimming, playing board games or music with friends or (6) ________________________.

For those (7) ____________, there are even laughing yoga classes, which are based on the idea that laughter is catching.

Task 1. Complete the text with the missing sentences. There are two sentences you do not need. (fill in the gap marked in blue ____)
Доповнити текст реченнями за змістом. Заповнити виділений блакитним пропуск. Два речення є зайвими.

Have a laugh!

It's no secret that laughing is good for us. It gives our immune system a boost, reducing stress hormones and (1) ________________________. It relaxes our muscles and strengthens our heart. Then, of course, laughter releases feel-good hormones that make us feel happier. Humour helps us ride the waves of life's ups and downs; it turns us into more easy-going people and breaks the ice with others.

However, (2) ________________________ or you just don't get other people's jokes? What if you are an intensely serious person who finds life more tragic than comic or who is more likely to be hot-tempered and moody when things go wrong than to slap your forehead and laugh? Can you learn to take life less seriously and lighten up?

According to some comedians, people can actually learn to be funny – perhaps not fall-off-your-chair funny, but at least able to admit that things are ridiculous rather than absolutely terrible. For those with a natural talent for being funny there are even stand-up comedy clinics (3) ________________________. Stand-up teachers turn the art of comedy into a science and design games, such as ones in which students have to improvise, to get students to be more creative. Students are given the tools to write great jokes even when they are struggling to come up with ideas of their own.

However, if you don't have your sights set on entertaining an audience but would simply like to laugh more, there are some easy ways (4) ________________________. If you are feeling dull or irritated, getting together with friends to watch a comedy could be just the thing to liven you up. Additionally, make sure that if you have a tendency to see the depressing side of life, you include funny people in your circle of friends. Funny people can influence you to find humour in the simplest of things. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, for example, manages (5) ________________________ in a supermarket into a hilarious sketch.

Watching comedies and telling jokes is not the only way to cheer us up and make us laugh. There are countless ways to lighten up a day, like playing games with friends or doing fun activities like going swimming, playing board games or music with friends or (6) ________________________.

For those (7) ____________, there are even laughing yoga classes, which are based on the idea that laughter is catching.

Task 1. Complete the text with the missing sentences. There are two sentences you do not need. (fill in the gap marked in blue ____)
Доповнити текст реченнями за змістом. Заповнити виділений блакитним пропуск. Два речення є зайвими.

Have a laugh!

It's no secret that laughing is good for us. It gives our immune system a boost, reducing stress hormones and (1) ________________________. It relaxes our muscles and strengthens our heart. Then, of course, laughter releases feel-good hormones that make us feel happier. Humour helps us ride the waves of life's ups and downs; it turns us into more easy-going people and breaks the ice with others.

However, (2) ________________________ or you just don't get other people's jokes? What if you are an intensely serious person who finds life more tragic than comic or who is more likely to be hot-tempered and moody when things go wrong than to slap your forehead and laugh? Can you learn to take life less seriously and lighten up?

According to some comedians, people can actually learn to be funny – perhaps not fall-off-your-chair funny, but at least able to admit that things are ridiculous rather than absolutely terrible. For those with a natural talent for being funny there are even stand-up comedy clinics (3) ________________________. Stand-up teachers turn the art of comedy into a science and design games, such as ones in which students have to improvise, to get students to be more creative. Students are given the tools to write great jokes even when they are struggling to come up with ideas of their own.

However, if you don't have your sights set on entertaining an audience but would simply like to laugh more, there are some easy ways (4) ________________________. If you are feeling dull or irritated, getting together with friends to watch a comedy could be just the thing to liven you up. Additionally, make sure that if you have a tendency to see the depressing side of life, you include funny people in your circle of friends. Funny people can influence you to find humour in the simplest of things. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, for example, manages (5) ________________________ in a supermarket into a hilarious sketch.

Watching comedies and telling jokes is not the only way to cheer us up and make us laugh. There are countless ways to lighten up a day, like playing games with friends or doing fun activities like going swimming, playing board games or music with friends or (6) ________________________.

For those (7) ____________, there are even laughing yoga classes, which are based on the idea that laughter is catching.

Task 1. Complete the text with the missing sentences. There are two sentences you do not need. (fill in the gap marked in blue ____)
Доповнити текст реченнями за змістом. Заповнити виділений блакитним пропуск. Два речення є зайвими.

Have a laugh!

It's no secret that laughing is good for us. It gives our immune system a boost, reducing stress hormones and (1) ________________________. It relaxes our muscles and strengthens our heart. Then, of course, laughter releases feel-good hormones that make us feel happier. Humour helps us ride the waves of life's ups and downs; it turns us into more easy-going people and breaks the ice with others.

However, (2) ________________________ or you just don't get other people's jokes? What if you are an intensely serious person who finds life more tragic than comic or who is more likely to be hot-tempered and moody when things go wrong than to slap your forehead and laugh? Can you learn to take life less seriously and lighten up?

According to some comedians, people can actually learn to be funny – perhaps not fall-off-your-chair funny, but at least able to admit that things are ridiculous rather than absolutely terrible. For those with a natural talent for being funny there are even stand-up comedy clinics (3) ________________________. Stand-up teachers turn the art of comedy into a science and design games, such as ones in which students have to improvise, to get students to be more creative. Students are given the tools to write great jokes even when they are struggling to come up with ideas of their own.

However, if you don't have your sights set on entertaining an audience but would simply like to laugh more, there are some easy ways (4) ________________________. If you are feeling dull or irritated, getting together with friends to watch a comedy could be just the thing to liven you up. Additionally, make sure that if you have a tendency to see the depressing side of life, you include funny people in your circle of friends. Funny people can influence you to find humour in the simplest of things. Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert, for example, manages (5) ________________________ in a supermarket into a hilarious sketch.

Watching comedies and telling jokes is not the only way to cheer us up and make us laugh. There are countless ways to lighten up a day, like playing games with friends or doing fun activities like going swimming, playing board games or music with friends or (6) ________________________.

For those (7) ____________, there are even laughing yoga classes, which are based on the idea that laughter is catching.

Task 2. Read the text below. Answer the questions.

Reading for the Beach

by resident book reviewer Magda Dutch

Holidays are just around the corner, and I get excited thinking of all the time I'll have on the beach or elsewhere, catching up on reading fiction. This year I'm going to reread one of my all-time favourites, Henry Miller's Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. For anyone not familiar with Miller's writing, this is probably the best work of his to start with. It describes the years he spent in an isolated and very unconventional rural community, bringing up his two children at times single-handedly. Miller writes about his interesting encounters with some of the inhabitants, who shared his non-conformist approach to life. His carefree spirit and his love for his children emerge in this part-autobiographical, part-philosophical book.

Of course, this type of reading is not necessarily everyone's cup of tea, so I asked a couple of my colleagues to tell me about their summer reading preferences. Ben Blair, one of our sports correspondents, had this to say, 'This year I'm not really sure what I'm in the mood for, but more than likely it will be Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. I've already managed to read a couple of excerpts. It's principally about Hornby's own deep passion for football, and especially for the Gunners, the Arsenal team. Being from North London myself, I am an avid fan of the Gunners too. In every chapter, he describes a specific match and how that related to what was going on in his life at that time. Apparently, his description of Arsenal's last-minute league win is so vivid that it is like experiencing the moment all over again. So, even though I have already got an idea of what I'm going to read, I can't wait to get my nose into it!' Well, Ben sounds quite enthusiastic, so, although I'm not really into football, I might try reading it.

The choice of our fashion editor, Julie Scowan, was something completely different. 'My favourite book, without a doubt, is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It's a book that really needs to be read a number of times in order to be fully absorbed. It's not that it's a difficult read, but there are so many characters involved, in lots of different relationships, that sometimes it's hard to keep track. However, Márquez has a way of involving you. The images he presents are so colourful, and his portrayal of Latin American culture with all its superstitions is so vivid, that you become immersed in it. I could really identify with the main character of the story, which really helps.'

I have to say I wholly agree with Julie and can endorse her choice, having already read the book. So, whatever your choice, literature lovers, I wish you all a good solid read this summer!

What does the book reviewer say about Henry Miller?

What do we learn about Fever Pitch?

What is Julie's opinion of One Hundred Years of Solitude?

What is TRUE of the book reviewer?

Which of the following has the book reviewer NOT read?