Test 17

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

STUDENT DISINTEREST: IS IT CURABLE?

Disinterested students - they are easy to spot! They meander into class, drop their books, and slide into semi-reclining positions at their desks. Indifference is written all over their faces and all over the work they do. Meanwhile, teachers scratch their heads and huddle together, trying to make sense of the lack of pride and drive which their students show. Most teachers are always seeking concrete ways to re-engage those disinterested students in the learning process. The following are some fresh ideas and words of wisdom that reflect on some ways to tackle the sticky problem of student disinterest.

1 Work with what you've got. Middle-schoolers flourish in herds - it's the nature of the beast. Group projects and an abundance of lunch-hour and after-school clubs will meet those students' need to be part of a group.

-Create projects that tap into their innate desire to make a difference in their world. Check out a few of the many Service Learning Web Resources available or connect learning themes to such social justice.

- This generation loves to interact. Capitalise on that by integrating instant messaging (MSN) and online bulletin boards into your assignments. They'll be so busy writing that they won't even realise they're learning!

2 Enlist students' opinions whenever possible. Involve them in the creation of assignment rubrics. Frequently seek their feedback concerning what is happening in your classroom.

-Provide plenty of opportunities for student choice in the way they learn and in the ways. they are allowed demonstrate what they know. That will encourage them to take more ownership of their learning.

3 Create a bulletin board headlined Great Moments in Room 32. If you see a student doing something thoughtful or kind, write it down on an index card and hang it up on the board.

- Create a bulletin board that shouts Stupendous Students». Let students choose the work they are most proud of to display.

4 Routinely provide benchmarks and rubrics at the beginning of an assignment, so students know what they have to do to achieve.

- Do whatever you have to do to help students. If reading 100 minutes a week at home is a turn off for a disinterested student, start with 50 minutes and work up gradually. Students will be encouraged to make an effort if they know you are willing to work with them.

5 Consider publishing students' work online. Nothing seems to motivate students quite as much as knowing their work will have an extended audience.

-Encourage administrators to make a special effort to work with troublesome students. They can offer extra love and support, a sincere How are you doing? in the morning, an extra hug when they need a time out, maybe even a trip to McDonald's at the end of a successful week.

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

Astoria, Oregon, is one of the Northwest's great visitor destinations in terms of the quality and variety of activities and attractions. Thick with fun things to see and do, you'll find something that will appeal to most anyone's tastes or interests. History buffs and nature fans will certainly find the Astoria area delightful.

We live in a technologically advanced and interconnected world. Places that were once almost impossible to reach are now accessible by road systems, waterways and airplane rides. Despite the whether it be through the ease with which we can contact people on the other side of the globe - click of a mouse or a letter in the post- about 10 per cent of the Earth is more than 48 hours away, by way of land travel from the nearest city. While in recent years it definitely has become easier to reach faraway lands, there are many places in the world that remain inaccessible, uninhabited and secluded in other words, the most remote spots on the Earth.

To determine whether a location qualifies as <remote», you should consider how difficult it is to reach the spot and the distance from the nearest inhabited location. In terms of inaccessibility, the point farthest from sea is the Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility, which is located more than 2,500 kilometres from any ocean and is located in northern China. The point farthest from land is Point Nemo, which is in the South Pacific, more than 2,500 kilometres away from any land mass. Neither of these locations are inhabited by humans.

For starters, the most isolated place in the entire world is likely Antarctica. The continent is 14 million sq km, and is inhabited by about 4,000 research scientists in summer and 1,000 in winter. There are just over 25 research stations in the Antarctic, all but a few located within a hundred miles of the coast. Aside from the Amundsen-Scott research station at the South Pole, the Antarctic interior is essentially empty. This makes sense - here at the ends of the Earth, rain barely ever falls, the sun doesn't shine for weeks or months on end, and temperatures drop as low as -90°C.

Another of the world's most isolated places is Tristan da Cunha, the most remote archipelago on the Earth, 2,816 km west of South Africa. Tristan da Cunha is located in the South Atlantic, about halfway between southern Brazil and South Africa. The island's rocky geography makes building an airstrip impossible, so the only way to travel to it is by boat. With a population of just over 250 people, Tristan da Cunha's economy is based on its lobster factory and the sales of stamps and coins to collectors overseas. Today, Tristan is classified as a United Kingdom Overseas Territory, and all of its residents are British citizens. An optician and a dentist are sent from the United Kingdom once a year. While there's no airport on Tristan, cruise ships occasionally visit the island, and crawfish trawlers from Cape Town come to the island about six times per year.

6.How many remote places are being mentioned in the text?       [Four, Two, Six, Three]

7.What should be taken into consideration to determine a location as «remote»?   [A, B, C, D]

A.The distance from any ocean.

B.The distance from the nearest inhabited location.

C.The inaccessibility of the place and its isolation.

D. The inaccessibility of the place.

8.The most remote inhabited location on the Earth is____________.                              [Siberia, Tristan da Cunha., Cape Town, the West Australian Desert.]

9.What continent has no native inhabitants?                [Antarctica, Africa, Eurasia, North America.]

10.The residents of Tristan earn most of their income from__________                   [sailing, selling crayfish., fishing, boating]

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

YOUR NEXT BIG VACATION

Have you ever had that fantasy to visit the moon, grab a rock and throw it into space so it would float forever? Soon, if you've got the cash, you can!

11 Enter the Artemis Project. This new and bold project is a private venture that will establish a permanent, self-supporting manned lunar base», which translates into a community on the moon for people to live in. According to Gregory Bennett, the founder of the Artemis Project, «It's not a question of whether it'll work, but rather how long it will take».

12 On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon. That moment became a crowning achievement in both the space community and for humanity itself. Despite the significance of the occasion, almost certainly when viewers saw images of his weightless, bouncing figure they thought, "That looks like fun!"

13 So, the Artemis team is taking a realistic approach to a human fantasy: they are marketing the project of a lunar base as pure entertainment. One small step for man, one giant leap for entertainment! They plan to pay for the initial stages of the project through commercialism.

California investor, Dennis Tito, recently took a trip to the International Space Station, after donating $20 million to the Russian Space programme. Wealthy celebrities like Canadian director James Cameron and the brothers of rock band Oasis have also voiced their interest to visit the big ball in the sky.

14 The project expects to pay for the initial lunar base primarily by exploiting the fun factor of the grand adventure of space flight. Planners expect to make the experience so much fun that net revenues from the entertainment value of the project, through its first flight, will be more than US $5 billion. These revenue estimates are based on comparisons to similar mass marketing ventures which tie movies and television shows in with associated merchandise and services.

15 So, what will a two-week vacation on the moon cost? Apparently, the price you would expect to pay for a luxury-class European capital tour, or probably less than $10,000. For that, you would play in zero gravity, sightsee for the few days it takes to get to the moon, of course, moonwalk and if you're in the mood, perhaps take a bus tour.

16 At first, the expedition-class flights would be for rugged explorers, the sort of trip that will appeal to safari-goers, mountain climbing types and perhaps hidden cave adventurers, Eventually, it will grow into luxury-class trips suitable for the casual sightseer. However, if you are one of those ready to book a flight, don't pack your bags quite yet, your flight is not scheduled to depart for at least a couple of decades.

This part of the text you should read if you are interested in_____________

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.

PARKOUR

Parkour is a movement philosophy (17)_________________. It is a bit difficult to define parkour, since it integrates several disciplines; it could be said to be a sport, a hobby, and a philosophy. Essentially, parkour is about learning to navigate obstacles, and rethinking the use of one's body and the use of public spaces.

The earliest form of parkour was developed by Georges Hebert, (18)__________________who served during the First and Second World Wars. As he served France, he also travelled, and he was struck by the efficient, flowing gymnastic movements of some of the African tribes he visited. When he returned to France, he started to develop a method of natural movement for members of the military, (19)____________________________ and effectively around a wide variety of obstacles. The méthode naturelle began to be regularly taught, setting the stage for the development of parkour.

One of the founding figures of parkour is David Belle, who was taught the méthode naturelle by his father in the 1980s. Parkour is also known as l'art du déplacement, (20)_________________, and some people simply call it PK. Someone who practises parkour is known as a traceur, or a traceuse if she is female.

This sport began to be popularized in the 1990s, (21)__________________.Some traceurs have expressed unhappiness with the mainstreaming of the sport, especially since parkour can be dangerous when it is practised by someone (22) ____________.The art includes flying leaps, jumps, and other physically challenging moves which can look very showy, but also be hazardous.

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

GROCERY STORE BANS PLASTIC BAGS

Many people are asked “Paper or plastic?” when their groceries are being bagged in the supermarket. Soon one grocery store won’t be asking shoppers that question. The store is eliminating plastic bags to (23)__________________          [cut down, cut for, cut off, cut in]on the amount of trash in the environment.

The owners of Whole Foods Market said in January that they will no longer use disposable plastic bags after Earth Day 2008, which is April 22. They hope shoppers will bring their (24)_____________________            [private, peculiar, own, individual] reusable bags. If shoppers don’t bring their own bags, the store will (25)_____________          [offer, nominate, propose, suggest]paper bags made from recycled paper.

The store’s (26)________________          [ambition, plan, dream, scale]to end use of plastic bags is its gift to the planet this Earth Day, said A.C. Gallo, Whole Foods’ president. “We estimate we will (27)____________________       [put, keep, bring, show] 100 million new plastic grocery bags out of our environment between Earth Day and the end of this year,” he said.

Scientists say that plastic bags are bad (28)_____________         [bring, against, off, for]the environment because they (29)________________        [hinder, tie, clog, seal]drains, harm wildlife, and (30)___________               [take after, take off, take down, take up] too much space in landfills.

Some countries have (31)___________            [banned, restricted, closed, shut]-plastic bags and others tax people who use them. Last year, San Francisco, California, became the first U.S. city to ban disposable plastic bags (32)_________________      [on, off, from, of]stores.

Some people say we should stop “trashing” plastic bags. Plastic bags are cheaper and take less energy to produce than paper bags, they say. Plus, they can be used over and over

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

Most dream vacations to Alaska revolve around wilderness hikes or cruises past mountains and glaciers. But changes in downtown Anchorage offer visitors (33) ________________________          [few, a few, little, a little]reasons to linger in the state's most populous city. The city's grid pattern, with lettered streets (34)_____________________         [running, ran, run, runs] perpendicular to numbered avenues, seems inspired by the game Battleship. In the heart of the grid, within a block of the G Street strip that stretches between Third and Fifth Avenues, new shops and restaurantses (35) _________________                      [would crop up, has cropped up, will have cropped up, have cropped up]Their arrival happens to coincide with a revitalization project (36)_______________               [called, call, was callin, has called]Destination Downtown, headlined by a sleek expansion of the Anchorage Museum where new exhibitions, a planetarium and a science discovery centre (37)_________                  [will be unveiled, are unveiling, are unveiled, were unveiled]in May.

The crumpled cars have reddened with rust, and spring rains and a warming sun have left the ashes and mud hardened into an earthen plate of armour. But Satoshi Watanabe still comes every day to pick through the charred debris that was once his home, (38)_________              [be searching, searching, search, to search] for the remains of his 2-month-old infant daughter.

She (39) _____________                   [has swept away, will sweep away, was swept away, was away sweeping]by the tsunami that flattened much of this fishing town and killed his wife, mother and two other young daughters. Once he finds the missing child, Mr Watanabe said he (40)___________               [would leave, leaving, has been left, left]that town and its painful memories for good.

"No one wants to build here again", said Mr Watanabe, 42, who spoke in short sentences punctuated by long sighs. "This place is just too scary".

Two months after a huge earthquake and tsunami, (41)_________________                 [devastates, devastated, will devastate, is devastating] coastal communities like this one remain far from recovery and, with many working-age people moving away, they face the prospect that they could simply wither away and, ultimately, perhaps even disappear.

With neither homes nor jobs to lose, and fearing another tsunami from the continuing aftershocks, many residents (42)_________________________                   [has left, has been leaving, had already left, have already left]. Town officials now fear losing the bulk of working-age families, leaving this already graying town with an overwhelmingly elderly population that might lack the energy or the incentive to undertake a lengthy reconstruction.