Примерные темы для экзамена по английскому, 9 кл. 4 страница

Children always have fun at Halloween on October 31. They dress up like ghosts and witches. They cut up a pumpkin to look like a frightening face and put a light inside. They go from house to house and say «Trick» or «Treat»? If they get a «Treat» (sweets or an apple), they go away happy. But if they don't, they play tricks.

Memorial Day falls on the fourth Monday of May. It is the day on which the Americans honour the dead. At first it was the day on which flags or flowers were placed on graves of the soldiers who perished in the American Civil War. Now it has become the day on which the dead of all wars and all other dead are remembered. On this day veterans of military services hold special ceremonies in cemeteries or at war monuments. Parades or special programmes are held at schools or public meeting places. In addition to the widely recognised holidays listed above, two Sundays are observed in a very special way. These are the second Sunday in May, which is always Mother's Day and the other is the third Sunday in June, which is Father's Day.

In the USA there are 50 states, and there are many holidays that are not observed nation-wide but are celebrated in certain states only. Columbus Day is observed on October 12 in 34 states. It commemorates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus who landed in the New World on October 12, 1492. The major celebration of the day takes place in New York City, which holds a huge parade each year.

Until the mid-1970s February 22, the birthday of George Washington, the first President of the USA, was observed as a federal holiday. In addition many states celebrated the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12. In the 1970s Congress declared that in order to honour all past presidents of the USA, a single holiday, called President's Day, would be observed on the third Monday in February.

Labour Day is observed on the first Monday in September. It has been a federal holiday since 1894, but it was observed in some places before that date as a result of campaigns launched by an organisation of workers called the «Knights of Labour». Its purpose is to honour the working people of the country. In many cities the day is marked by parades of working people representing the labour unions.

– How do Americans honour their war veterans?

– Veteran's Day, originally called Armistice Day, was established to honour those Americans who had served in World War I. It falls on November 11, the day on which that war ended. Now it honours veterans of all the wars in which the USA has been involved. Organisations of war veterans hold parades or other special ceremonies. The President or another high official places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington. The soldiers from each war the United States has fought in since World War I are buried there.

– What holidays are celebrated throughout the world?

– Feasts and festivals vary greatly in type. Some of them are religious in character; others have flourished in modern civilisations. Secular modern festivals are often mixed with previous religious festivals. Christmas is the most important religious holiday for Christians. They attend special church services to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. On this day most banks and offices are closed and the workers including government employees have the day off. May Day is a springtime fertility festival that can be traced back to the Great Mother festival of Greco-Roman times. It has become a festival of the labouring class of the world. At the same time May Day commemorates the suppression of the workers in Chicago on May 1, 1886, who were struggling for an eight-hour working day. In 1889 American Labour Unions decided to hold such demonstrations everywhere. This social festival is observed in different countries. St. Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. It is not an official holiday, but people in many countries celebrate it in a very special manner. They send greeting cards to the people they love. Such cards are called «Valentines». This day is named after a Christian martyr, whose feast day is observed on that day. It is held that Valentine before his execution sent a message of friendship to his prison warden's blind daughter. Nowadays New Year is celebrated at midnight on 31st in many countries. Although certain countries calculate time by other calendars, most countries number their years according to the Gregorian calendar introduced in the 16-th century by Pope Gregory XIII. Although certain countries follow their national calendar, they always remember January 1. New Year's Day is a cultural festival. Bells ring out around the world to welcome New Year.

– Is there anything common in the celebration of New Year's Day in different countries?

– New Year is a family day. On this day everyone gives and receives presents. Both adults and children love it. People believe that a miracle is a must on this day. They are also convinced that if New Year begins well it will continue like that. On the New Year night people visit their friends or stay at home and watch TV. The dancing goes on all night. On January 1 business offices, banks, schools are closed so that people can feast, dance, and generally enjoy themselves.

– Are there differences in the celebrations and customs of New Year in European countries?

– In Scotland New Year's Eve is called Hogmanay. It is notable for its Flambeaux Procession and the custom of First-Footing. Most differences in European tradition are connected with a meal or special food. Food is essential because most people prefer to stay up all night to welcome New Year. In Switzerland special bread, rich in butter, eggs and raisins is baked and a roasted goose is cooked. In Spain there is a custom to eat 12 grapes at midnight. In Greece some people play cards believing that they will be lucky the whole year if they win. In Turkey celebrations are held in restaurants all night long.

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БИЛЕТ 10

Ты собираешься провести месяц в семье твоего зарубежного друга. Как ты думаешь, что в этой семье будет интересно узнать о тебе?

About myself

My name is Peter Sidorov. I am 14 years old. I was born in Moscow, where I am still living. Our family is rather large. There are five of us: my mother, my father, my brother, my sister and me.

My father is 44 years old. He is an eye surgeon. He works in hospital. He is always very busy. He has very little free time. He likes his job. My mother is a teacher of literature. She works a lot. She is always busy checking up the compositions of her pupils. She does her housework and we always help her. My brother is 19 years old. He is a Law Faculty student. He is not married yet and has no family of his own. He wants to be an expert in the field of law that is why he works hard. My little sister is 10 years old. Her name is Ann. Although she is little she knows a lot of wonderful things. She is very clever and intelligent. I can talk with her for hours about the adventures of three musketeers, the Greek and Roman gods and heroes. She learns English. Her favourite books are «Alice in Wonderland» and «Through the Looking-Glass» by Lewis Carroll. But I like his poem «The Hunting of the Snark». It is nonsense literature of the highest order. Children like this fantastic tale about Alice's adventures very much. The book is successful because it is not an allegory; it has no hidden meaning or message, either religious, political, or psychological. My sister has a good ear for music: she goes to musical school for piano lessons. Once I also attended musical school and learnt to play the piano. Sometimes we go to the Conservatoire with our parents to listen to solo concerts or symphonic orchestras.

I am always very busy, but when I am free I like to read books, play football with my friends or watch TV or video films. My favourite writer is J.R.R. Tolkien. I like his epic trilogy «The Lord of the Rings» very much. This book is about the struggle between good and evil forces for possession of a magical ring that can change the balance of power in the world. When I have a lot of free time I like to go to the museums and art galleries. My favourite painter is Nikolai Roerich. Roerich is known for his monumental historical paintings and wonderful landscapes of the Himalayan Mountains. His works of art are full of mysticism and symbolism. I like his painting «The Forefathers». This canvas, based on the Slavic legend, is inspired by the northern Russian countryside. It shows an old Slavic piper surrounded by bears against the background of hills.

My favourite movie is the «Star Wars». It is an inspiring fairy tale about the fight of the good and evil. The action takes places in the far away galaxy in the distant future. One can easily recognise the reality of today. The main characters arouse our admiration. Luke Skywalker can be characterised as a musketeer of outerspace. But most of all I like contemporary music. I am fond of almost every trend of music style. I like Russian music too, but not so much as British or American. I am not interested in music as a passive recipient. I can play the guitar and piano. I take part in a musical project with my friends. In our band I sing and play the guitar. We give concerts at our school. Recently I've started to practice drums and I've found out that I like it very much. Unfortunately, I can not devote as much time as I would like to music. I have to study and do other things as well.

I have a lot of friends. Friendship is one of the greatest things in the world. Nobody knows how to define it in a proper way. I think that friendship is the highest spiritual achievement of men. I believe that a person can be happy if he has a true friend. My true friend is Mark. He wants to be a pilot. Mark is a very interesting person. We find little difficulty in entertaining ourselves. Mark has a great talent for inventing games to amuse us all. I enjoy spending my free time with him. He is bright, well educated, kind-hearted, and cheerful. Mark is the only person with whom I can share my problems, ideas, and thoughts. He understands me very well, and he always tells me the truth. Mark's hobby is playing billiard and football. I also like to play these games. In each game I appreciate logic on which the development of the games based. We do these sports pretty well, especially football. To play billiard well it is necessary to practice it regularly. Recently our interests in billiard have faded and we play only football. Sometimes at the weekends, especially in autumn, we go to the cinema. We understand each other perfectly well. I am happy to have such a friend as Mark. Unfortunately in our society people often forget how to save someone's faith in kindness.

Speaking of our apartment, I want to say that it is rather large. We live in a very good place. Our apartment is located in a twenty-storied tower of flats in the northwest of the city. There is a park with a big pond not far from it. We have a four-room apartment on the sixteenth floor.

The living room with a window facing the park is quite large. In this room there is a bookcase, a sofa, a table with six chairs around it, and two armchairs there. There is a TV-set, a video-recorder and a tape-recorder in this room. On the walls there are three paintings. A thick carpet covers the floor. We spend every evening in this room. My parents' room is rather small. There are two beds, a dressing table with a mirror and a wardrobe there. On the bedside table there is an alarm clock, an electric lamp and some books.

I share my room with my elder brother. It is our study as well. We have a lot of books in this room. There are books on the shelves all around the walls. We have two desks. My desk is at the window. The computer is on the desk in the corner of the room. There are two sofas in this room. There are two chairs in our room. My sister's room is the smallest one. Her favourite colour is pink that is why everything in this room is pink. There is a piano in her room but it is black.

Besides we have a kitchen and a bathroom in our flat. In the kitchen there is a gas stove, a refrigerator, a sink with two taps over it, a cupboard, a table and six stools there. The bathroom is very cosy, too. There is a bath, a washbasin with hot and cold water there. My parents are hospitable. They often invite friends and relatives to our place. And everybody feels at home here.

My every day activities are quite routine. They do not differ much from these of any other pupil of our country. My working day begins at 7 o'clock in the morning when I get up. I do my physical jerks, wash, brush my teeth and comb my hair. Then I have breakfast. For breakfast I usually have corn flakes, tea or coffee and some jam.

At ten minutes to eight I leave for school. I go to school five days a week. It takes me ten minutes to get to school by trolleybus. At school I usually have from six to eight lessons. The lessons are over at two o'clock. I return home at three o'clock. I have lunch and take a short rest. I go for a walk with my friends. I am back at home at a quarter to four. At four I begin to do my homework. It takes me three hours to do it. My parents usually return home at seven o'clock. We have dinner at seven thirty. After dinner we go to the living room. There we watch TV or talk about the problems of the day. At ten o'clock I go to bed. In the morning I go to school. My school is a three-storied building with a gym and a water pool. At first I attended primary school. At primary school we did Russian, maths, English, drawing, physical training and music. And then after three years of primary school classes I went on to secondary school. At secondary school we study eight years. Six years are compulsory. This curriculum includes Russian, maths, English, literature, sciences and history. After the ninth form one must take four examinations: in Russian, maths, English and History. I want to enter the University that is why I'll study two years more and take five examinations on finishing the eleventh form.

Russian pupils have four holidays a year in autumn, spring, winter and summer. Autumn vacation and spring vacation are very short. They last only a week each. Winter vacation lasts two weeks. It is a good time for skating, skiing and hockey playing. During my winter vacation I like to go to the cinema, theatre, visit museums and art galleries, attend concert halls. Summer vacation is the longest one. It lasts three months. In summer I have so much free time that I can do a lot of things. I can have a rest in the country, go on excursions and travel. Usually in June and July I go to the village. There we have a little cottage. I work in the garden, go to the forest, swim in the lake, ride a bicycle and play different games with my friends. Our family is fond of travelling. In august when my parents are on vocation we like to travel. Sometimes we buy boat tours. But most of all we like to visit ancient Russian towns. We take the «Golden Ring» route. The ancient Russian towns fascinate us.

– Do you have grandparents?

– I have two grandmothers and one grandfather. I love them very much and often go to see them. My grandmothers are retired now. One of them was an engineer, another was an economist. My grandfather has not retired yet. During World War II he was a fighting pilot and he contributed to our victory over the Nazi invaders. When he has free time he likes to work in the garden.

– Do you have any other relatives?

– We have a lot of relatives. My aunts, uncles and cousins live in different parts of Russia. On holidays they often come to our place. Every summer we visit some of our relatives, and this means travelling a lot. We have a very good time together. I like family feasts very much.

– Do you have pets?

– We have two pets at home, a cat and a dog. Our dog is a very big Newfoundland called Charlie. We take our dog for a walk twice a day. In summer when we live in the village Charlie has a chance to run and swim a lot. At the weekends we usually go to the country to ski in winter. We always take Charlie with us. Our cat's name is Dina. Dina is very tender, she is my sister's favourite. Dina is older than Charlie, and although Charlie is several times larger than Dina, Charlie does everything that Dina wants.

– Do you often go to the theatre?

– No, I do not often go to the theatre. I like to go to the Bolshoy, Mali and Art Theatres. The Bolshoy Theatre is magnificent. It is famous for its excellent performances. The Bolshoy Theatre productions are always a success and have a very long run. They always make a deep impression on me.

– Have you ever been abroad before?

– Three years ago my classmates and I went to Great Britain to learn English. We lived in the host-families in Bath. We had classes of English five days a week three hours a day. We went to London every weekend. We visited Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery and the Tower of London. I liked the monument to Queen Boadicea. It is located not far from the Houses of Parliament. We also went to Rochester. There we visited Dickens's museum and a medieval castle.

– How do you spend your free time?

– -There are a lot of opportunities of spending my free time. When I have some free time I go to the theatre, cinema, museums, art galleries, concert hall, and disco clubs, play football with my friends or participate in one of our musical projects. I can read books, listen to my favourite music, or call on my friends. I can choose any of them. But unfortunately I seldom can afford myself such activities.

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БИЛЕТ 11

Читательские интересы у людей разные. А что любишь читать ты?

Reading books

Literature is the greatest human property. It is generally known that Russian literature is one of the most voluminous in the world. A. Pushkin, I. Turgenev, I. Goncharov, L. Tolstoy, F. Dostoevsky, A. Chekhov are the leaders of the world classical literature. They set a pattern for language, subject matter, and narrative techniques of Russian and world literature. Their works attract readers even today, because everybody can find something special there.

Ivan Turgenev successfully linked social problems with true literary art. His «Hunter's Sketches» and «Fathers and Sons» depict Russia's life with realism and with artistry which make these works classics. The problem of the generation gap discussed in his «Fathers and Sons» is very acute today. The everyday life of the Russian provincial gentry is perfectly described by Goncharov in his famous novel «Oblomov». The writer shows how the best and the brightest men can degenerate if they do not see how to use and develop their talents.

Leo Tolstoy and Feodor Dostoevsky are recognised as the best Russian writers. They give a realistic picture of the Russian society of the 19-th century. Their research in a person's inner world is unique. Their characters do not always know what they really want, and when they think they do know, the fate breaks their illusions. Moral issues are raised in Tolstoy's and Dostoevsky's works. Tolstoy's «War and Peace» and «Anna Karenina» as well as Dostoevsky's «Crime and Punishment» and «The Brother Karamazov» focus on serious human problems.

The end of the 19-th century was dominated by Anton Chekhov. He contributed to two genres: short stories and drama. His short stories are really short, but powerful. They make people laugh and cry at the same time. Some of his stories may seem very cruel, but Chekhov simply reflected the Russian life in his prose. His plays are not numerous, but they are really outstanding. «The Cherry Orchard» is his best known play. It is an emotional drama of the decline of a Russian noble family, which shares the fate of the Russian nation.

I also like British literature. My favourite writer is Oscar Wilde. His reputation as a dramatist rests on his comic masterpiece «The Importance of Being Earnest». Within the social intrigues and artificial devices to resolve conflict, Wilde used his wit to create a form of comedy new to the English theatre. Oscar Wilde was the representative of the late 19-th century Aesthetic movement in England. It proclaimed art for art's sake. Wilde was born in Ireland; he went to Trinity College in Dublin, and later continued his education at Oxford. During the years of study Wilde distinguished himself not only as a classical scholar, but also as a poet by winning the popular prize for his poem. In the early 1880s Wilde established himself in social and artistic circles. His most powerful novel is «The Picture of Dorian Gray.» In this novel Wilde shows the darkest corners of a man's soul. The author's message can be interpreted in the following way: a person who loves only himself will never be able to realise himself.

America gave the world many great writers. Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Рое, and Walt Whitman dominated in the 19-th century literature. The great American writers of the 20-th century were Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

My favourite American writer is Edgar Allan Рое. Не was an outstanding poet and a short story writer. In Europe Рое was considered the only American poet of significance, the one who created literary works of many varied forms. Рое expressed his deep and sincere feelings in his poems. Edgar Allan Рое is mostly remembered for establishing new symbolic poetry. The «Raven» is his best known poem. The poet used symbols, following the ancient traditions. It is the ancient poetry that helped him to find the unusual rhythm. The symbolic meaning of the «Raven» is unclear; raven is a symbol of eternal life as well as the herald of death. Numerous readers in the United States and other countries admire Poe's short stories. He was the inventor of the detective stories that became very popular in the 20-th century. Рое won recognition and admiration of the Russian readers very quickly. «The Gold Bug», one of Poe's best stories, was published in the United States in 1843 and in 1847 it was translated into Russian. Poe's poetry had tremendous influence on the Russian poets of the beginning of the 20-th century. Such outstanding Russian poets as Balmont and Brusov admired Poe's poetry. They translated his poems into Russian, and used his motives in their lyrics.

– Do you like to return to the books that you have once read?

– Yes, I do. There are certain books that I can read any time from virtually any page. Each time I open these books I discover there something new, something that I have missed or misinterpreted during my previous reading. Some people say that rereading books is boring, that there are so many books that they have not read yet, that they will never return to the books they have already read. I can not agree with it. There are many books that are not worth even a single reading, while there are others that have numerous layers. Most of all I like to return to the books that 1 have already read every couple of years just to compare in which way my perception of the author and his book has changed.

– What are these books?

– It would take me some time simply to mention the books that I love to reread. One of these books is «The Adventures of Tom Sawyer» by Mark Twain. When I first got acquainted with this wonderful novel I did not know how to read and my mother read it to me. The first thing I did when I started reading myself was reading «Tom Sawyer.» It was as if I met the old friend. Later I was rereading some episodes that I liked most of all and each time I discovered something new. For example, when I was a kid I thought that the adventures of Tom and Huck constituted the most important part of the book. Later I started to understand the humour of Mark Twain. Since my first acquaintance with this author I have read many other novels and short stories by Mark Twain. Reading «Tom Sawyer» again and again enhanced my understanding of Mark Twain not only as a writer, but also as a personality. Now I am trying to read the novel in the original, I think that this will help me to understand both Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer better.

– What do you read when you want to have some rest?

– As I have already mentioned I read Mark Twain's stories and novels a lot. But of course there are other English and American writers whom I admire. When I want to have some rest I like to read Jack London's Alaskan stories such as «The White Silence», «Call of the Wild», and «Burning Daylight.» They are unforgettable. Jack London knew the life of the North perfectly well. He met his characters in real life. He was familiar with their needs and troubles. One of J. London's best stories is «White Fang.» It is a story about the adventures of a wolf, who was tamed by the Indians as a sledge dog, and who little by little perceived the law of life: to eat or be eaten. White Fang, is not only the title of the novel, but the name of the wolf as well, who eventually understood that love and kindness ruled the world. I believe that Jack London loved animals. He wrote a lot about them.

– Do you read the books of British and American writers in the original or in translation?

– It is much easier to read books that are already translated into Russian. At the same time I am reading some books in English that are specifically adapted for Russian pupils. Reading such books is not only fun; it helps me to improve my English, so that I shall be able to read the works of British and American authors in the original. As I have already said, at the moment I am reading "Tom Sawyer" in the original. This is not an easy task for me. But I know this book very well, and this helps me a lot. Thus I can say that reading Russian translations of the English books is the first step toward reading them in the original.

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БИЛЕТ 12

Сейчас много говорят о телевидении, находят как положительные, так и отрицательные стороны. А что думаешь ты?

Advantages and disadvantages of television

Television is one of the greatest achievements of the 20-th century. It is the most popular part of mass media. Today every family has a TV-set. TV has changed much since the time of its invention and so has its role. There have been numerous debates concerning advantages and disadvantages of television. When TV first appeared its main purpose was to give official information to people. It was supported by the government. Now television plays a big role in every civilised society. Today television gives people a possibility to be well informed and enjoy «civilised pleasures.» The programmes are various and people have a chance to select what they want to see. Television provides great opportunities for education. There are programmes devoted to specialised subjects. With the help of TV it is possible to learn foreign languages, to know a lot of wonderful things concerning the world flora and fauna. TV teaches the ideals of democracy and political argument. Watching television can be compared with reading books. It provides an outlet for creative talents. By the beginning of the 21-st century TV became a coloured world network. Numerous programmes people can receive by satellite or cable. The choice of the channels ranges from six to twenty. These channels show programmes of various kinds from documentaries, current events and sports to programmes American films and science fiction cartoons. Now this medium of communication allows people to see and speak with each other if they are separated by thousands of kilometres. TV bridges between Russia and the USA once were very popular. They showed that TV was a unifying force and that our planet in reality is a small world. Previously innovations were promoted on TV. TV shocked, surprised and stimulated. It brought ballet, opera, and theatre to big masses of people. It was even in the vanguard of new drama. Moreover, TV can keep children quiet. If they are noisy their mothers turn on the set. If people do not like TV they do not buy it or switch it off.

At the same time there are a lot of arguments against TV. It is said that only three generations have grown up with television, but they managed to forget how to spend their free time without television. Its role is increasing not because it is an entertainer or informant, but because of the grip it has on many people. It is called a «living room monster» or «one-eyed monster.» It is established that the biggest viewers are pensioners and housewives. The latter watch TV while their husbands are at work. In total they spend five hours daily sitting before the «boxes.» Children watch commercials, horror films or films of violence. TV prevents children from creating their abilities. They get accustomed to TV to such an extent that they watch it all the time. To force their children away from their favourite evening programmes to their homework has eventually become the main problem of the parents of different countries.

Moreover, TV is damaging for health. It has bad effect on the eyes, particularly of children. The physicians proved that if children do not watch TV their eyesight improves. But if children do not watch TV they find themselves without anything to talk about at school, where comedians and singing stars are major topics during breaks between classes. The same is true about some adults. Sometimes TV programmes become the topics of common interest of the people and without, them they have nothing to talk about.