Задание 7. Прочитайте отрывок из романа и выполните задания 1 – 7, выбирая букву A, B, C или D. Установите соответствие номера задания выбранному вами варианту ответа.

I like my house and my bed and my shower. I do not like camping. I guess that means I’m weird. Men are supposed to like camping. When I was eight, my father took me on our first and last camping trip together. It was the worst weekend of my life. It was freezing cold. It rained. We went for a hike, and I got lost. My dad had tried to teach me how to use a compass. We walked for a mile while he talked about north, south, east and west. I was cold and bored, so I didn’t listen very well. He left me with the compass and told me to find my way back. My dad says I wasn’t lost for very long. It felt like a whole day.

My company recently transferred me to Denver, Colorado. My new co-workers have invited me to go hiking or camping several times since I arrived. I keep making excuses, because I do not want to tell them the truth. My buddy from Texas thinks I should go over it, because I’m not eight anymore. I’m afraid that if I go, I will make a complete fool of myself. If I don’t go, they will quit asking. If they quit asking, I won’t have any buddies to hang out with. Back home my buddies and I played golf every other Saturday. I miss golf. But here wilderness stuff is what people do for fun.

I finally decided I would give it a try. They made plans to hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend. After work, I found the nearest wilderness shop. The salesperson thought I had lost my mind, but boy he had a big smile on his face. I bought one of almost everything, just in case. I even bought a wilderness guide. I think I could survive on Mount Everest wearing the coat he sold me. I went home and read all the manuals. I practiced setting up a tent in the backyard. I wore my new hiking boots around the house until I got a blister.

After packing my car Friday morning, I could not see out the back of my Jeep Cherokee. Everything I bought was crammed inside. We decided to caravan to Estes Park and then hike up Beaver Meadow Trail. I wondered if we would get lost. But I just wanted to play it cool and follow along.

After work, we went in the parking lot to discuss who would lead the caravan. As soon as they saw my Jeep, they started giving me a hard time. “Are ya movin’ in, Tom?” “Movin’ in where?” “To the woods”. They all laughed. “Oh that. Just wanted to be prepared.” They raised their eyebrows and gave me the OK sign. I felt like a complete idiot. “You should have told us. We would have left everything we own at home”. “Very funny. Bunch of comedians.”

On the way to Estes Park, I tried to relax. I tried to think macho thoughts. And then it started to rain. I panicked. All I could think about was being eight years old, alone in the woods, cold and hungry. The guys didn’t seem bothered by the rain. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it. We all put on our backpacks. Once again, I stood out. My backpack looked bright and spotless. I forgot to rub it in the dirt and stomp on it. The price tag was still hanging from the zipper. My backpack was the only one dripping with gadgets. They all stared at me.

On the way up Beaver Meadow Trail, the rain started to pour. It was cold and harsh. I removed the Mount Everest coat from my waist and put it on. One of my gadgets was a small, sturdy umbrella. I pulled it off the hook, opened it, and held it in front of my face. The waterproof gloves I bought felt toasty warm. I looked around at my macho friends. They were checking out my backpack. I suddenly felt more confident. They looked miserable, and I almost felt sorry for them. When it started to hail, we moved off the trail.

I removed my backpack. A rolled up tent was attached to the bottom with straps of Velcro. They didn’t laugh this time. It took us 30 minutes, but we finally put the tent together. It was not big enough for five people. Somehow, we squeezed inside anyway. After several awkward moments, someone said “So what else you got in that backpack, Tom?” We spent the next hour joking and laughing and eating beef jerky. I told them all about my first camping experience. I also told them that I miss playing golf. They said they would give it a try sometime. I decided camping might not be so bad after all.

1. Tom believes that he is weird because he

A) expects to sleep in a comfortable bed when camping.

B) didn’t like camping when he was eight years old.

C) doesn’t like the thing other people expect him to enjoy.

D) didn’t like to spend weekends with his father in his childhood.

2. Tom got lost on a hike because

A) his father hadn’t explained to him how to use a compass.

B) his father had left him alone to teach him a lesson.

C) he wanted to make his father feel sorry for him.

D) he had paid no attention to what his father was telling him.

3. Tom isn’t quite happy in Denver because

A) he feels a complete fool in the company of his co-workers.

B) he dislikes the leisure time activities of his new colleagues.

C) his new colleagues have quit inviting him to go hiking or camping.

D) there are no men whom he would like to become his buddies.

4. The salesperson thought Tom had lost his mind because

A) Tom wanted to climb Mount Everest without any previous experience.

B) Tom had bought a lot of unnecessary things.

C) no one had ever bought so many manuals.

D) Tom had bought outrageously expensive hiking equipment.

5. Tom’s colleagues started giving him a hard time because they

A) thought he had too many things in his jeep.

B) were envious of his Jeep Cherokee and hiking equipment.

C) believed he was a complete idiot.

D) thought he couldn’t lead the caravan.

6. When everyone stared at his backpack Tom wished he

A) had bought a cheaper one.

B) had removed some of the gadgets.

C) hadn’t bought such a bright one.

D) had made it look old and used.

7. Tom found his camping experience not so bad after all because

A) it taught him to appreciate nature’s beauty.

B) he realized that camping might go well with playing sports.

C) he enjoyed the company of his co-workers.

D) he liked eating beef cooked over a campfire.

Задание 8. Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 1 – 7, выбирая букву A, B, C или D. Установите соответствие номера задания выбранному вами варианту ответа.

Whilst travelling in 2001, I had my first but definitely not last go at snowboarding. Rhona and I went to the Cardona ski resort, a couple of hours from Queenstown in New Zealand. We had been staying in Queenstown for a couple of weeks and had tried a couple of the local ski resorts. They had been so popular, that there was almost no room to stay. The problem for me with this was that with so many people moving around me, my eyes were constantly re-focusing. This meant that I couldn’t see a thing! As I had never snowboarded before, we decided that it was going to be a problem. A guy at one of the local ski rental shops recommended that we should try Cardona.

On arrival I went straight to the Ski Patrol and explained my situation. They suggested that I should wear a vest, that they supplied, with the words ‘BLIND SKIER’ on the front and back on top of my jacket. They told me that this was more for the benefit of the other skiers around me. I must admit, I wasn’t very keen to do this, but thought I would give it a try.

Once onto the slopes, I put my vest on and began to practise my limited skills. Because I have done some other board sports, i. e. skateboarding, surfing, etc., it wasn’t too hard to learn the basics. Once I was comfortable with this, I headed off for the ski lift and the big slopes. As I stood in the queue I could hear people talking about that ‘poor blind guy’. This niggled me a bit, but I decided to try to ignore it. At the top of the lift I stepped off and strapped my feet onto the board.

As we headed off I could hear more people talking about the vest. I was starting to get paranoid. Then as I gathered speed and Rhona would shout directions, I realized that the people who saw the vest were getting out of my way. Fantastic! This was better than a white stick in a crowd. We picked up speed turning left, then right, hitting a few bumps, but mainly going really well. I even managed to control the snowboard. Well, sort of control it. Before I knew it, we had zipped down a long straight slope and had come to the end of the run. The adrenaline was buzzing and I was ‘high as a kite’. What a feeling. I got back on the ski lift and headed back up. This time I was going to do the run solo!

I had memorized the slope from my first run and felt very confident. As I came off the lift, I rushed to get started. Again, I could hear people talking about me, but now it didn’t matter. The vest was a definite benefit for the novice snowboarder! I took the first stage at a steady pace, looking for my first left bend. No problems there. I found that easy enough. I was now looking for my fast approaching right bend. I missed this one completely and ended up in the safety netting at the edge of the run.

At this point, I decided I was not the world’s best snowboarder and would have to take things a little slower. As the day progressed, so did my skills. I had a great time. Even taking ‘air’ on quite a few occasions. However this was not deliberate! I was now very wary about that bend I had missed, so I started to take it a bit earlier. Unfortunately, this meant that I would leap about 2 metres into the air. And what was more surprising than being airborne, was the fact that on half a dozen occasions, (out of about 30), I landed on my feet and carried on downhill. The rest of the time I fell on my bottom. I heard some people comment on how brave ‘that blind guy’ was. Little did they know it was lack of skill rather than bravery.

We boarded at Cardona for two days and had a fantastic time. Because it is a bit of a drive away from most of the tourist places, it is not as busy as the other ski resorts. It is mostly visited by the locals and I think that says something. If you get the chance, I would definitely recommend Cardona. I would also like to thank the Ski Patrol for that great suggestion. Without the vest, I am sure there could have been some crashes, caused by me. But with the vest , everyone just got out of the way. However, I think that if I was to get a vest for myself, it would probably read “BLIND &DAFT”.

1. The narrator and his companion decided to choose the Cardona ski resort

because

A) it was a short distance from Queenstown.

B) they couldn’t find a room at other resorts.

C) somebody said that it was worth going to.

D) it was popular with snowboarders.

2. The Ski Patrol suggested that the narrator should wear a vest in order to

A) make it easier for them to locate the narrator in case of an accident.

B) make the narrator feel more confident during his first go at snowboarding.

C) keep an eye on him on the slope.

D) prevent other people from colliding with him on the slopes.

3. When the narrator was standing in the queue he

A) felt annoyed by people’s comments.

B) felt comfortable in his vest.

C) tried to focus his eyes on the track.

D) tried to ignore his fear.

4. “This” in “This was better than a white stick in the crowd” refers to

A) the fact that people were getting out of the narrator’s way.

B) the narrator’s moving at a high speed down the slope.

C) the fact that Rhona was giving the narrator directions.

D) the narrator’s hearing more people talking about the vest.

5. The narrator did the second run solo and he

A) tried to memorize all the bends.

B) failed to go round one of the bends.

C) tried not to listen to Rhona’s directions.

D) fell down and was injured.

6. The narrator believes that his successful leaps into the air and landing on his

feet were due to

A) his personal courage.

B) people’s encouragement.

C) his intensive practising.

D) pure chance.

7. The narrator recommends the Cardona ski resort because

A) of the Ski Patrol efficient service

B) skiers are supplied with vests there.

C) it is less crowded than other places.

D) there are few crashes on the slopes.

Ответы к заданиям по чтению ( высокий уровень)

 7. 1-C; 2-D; 3-B; 4-B; 5-A; 6-D; 7-C

8. 1-C; 2-D; 3-A; 4-A; 5-B; 6-D; 7-C