You Are Never Too Old

LISTENING

Time: 20 minutes

Task 1

For items 1-10 listen to Mary Hobson talking about her life. For items 1-5 mark the statements true (T) or false (F); and for items 6-10 choose A, B or C according to the text you hear. Then circle your selected answers on the answer sheet. You will hear the recording twice. You are never too old 1) She wrote a book before she was 40. T F 2) She didn't read all of War and Peace. T F

3) The happiest time of her life was in the 1960s. T F 4) She prefers the town over the countryside. T F

5) She loves Moscow but isn't crazy about the cold weather. T F

6) The most exciting thing about Mary Hobson is that ... A she retired in her 80s.

В she got a formal education at an old age. С she is learning ancient Latin and Greek. 7) Why does Mary call herself 'a late developer'?

A She wasn't good at school.

В It took her 40 years to write her first novel. С She started doing new things at an inappropriate age. 8) Because of cerebral abscess* Mary's husband ...

A couldn't talk and move.

В could talk but could hardly move. С couldn't talk and could hardly move. *celebral abscess or brain abscess is a serious, life-threatening infection 9) As a result of her husband's disease ... A they had both financial and personal problems. В they had tough financial times but never argued. С they supported each other and felt free. 10) Mary believes that ...

A you have to do something about atheism.

В you've only got one life so you mustn't waste it. С you have to accept death and wait for an afterlife.

Task 2 You will hear part of a radio programme about factors which determine success. For items 11-20, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase. You will hear the recording twice. Then transfer your answers to the answer sheet. 11) Many psychologists believe that EQ* is ______IQ when calculating success. 12) The graduates who got high IQ scores at college weren't any more ______than those who got lower IQ scores. 13) One of the most significant factors for life success is ______. 14) The children who didn't eat the sweet would receive ______. 15) Approximately ______of the children couldn't resist temptation. 16) The children were retested when they were ______. 17) On the IQ test, the group which had resisted temptation got ______. 18) Another factor which determines success is ______. 19) The ______of new salesmen is expensive. 20) Salesmen who are ______are more liable to leave during their first year. *EQ – Emotional Quotient, cf. Intelligence Quotient, IQ) Transfer your answers to the answer sheet! READING

Time: 30 minutes

Task 1

You are going to read a text about six scientists and inventors. Read the text and for questions 1-15, choose from the people (A-F). The people may be chosen more than once. For each question (1-15) circle the correct option (A, B, C, D, E or F) on the answer sheet.

Which scientist/inventor ...

1 used himself/herself as a guinea pig during an experiment?

2 invented something that speeded up the manufacturing process?

3 worked with a famous scientist?

4 found the answer to a security problem?

5 used to breathe in toxic substances?

6 died of diseases he/she caught as a result of their experiment?

7 did not bother to get a patent for their invention?

8 gained a reward for their invention?

9 solved the problem a famous scientist couldn't?

10 was doing their experiments to reverse/stop the ageing process?

11 was not very successful in his first job?

12 did something society did not approve of?

13 came from outside the country where he/she created their invention?

14 helped make the first computer work?

15 won a serious competition? A Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829)

Sir Humphry Davy, the British chemist and inventor, had a very bumpy start to his science career – as a young apprentice he was fired from his job as an apothecary* because he caused too many explosions! When he eventually took up the field of chemistry, he had a habit of inhaling the various gases he was dealing with. Fortunately, this bad habit led to his discovery of the anaesthetic properties of nitrous oxide. Unfortunately, the same habit led him to nearly kill himself on many occasions and the frequent poisonings left him an invalid for the last two decades of his life. During this time he also permanently damaged his eyes in a nitrogen trichloride explosion.

*apothecary - a person who in the past used to make and sell medicines

B Alexander Bogdanov

Alexander Bogdanov was a Russian physician, philosopher. economist, science fiction writer, and revolutionary. In 1924, he began experiments with blood transfusion – in a search for eternal youth. After 11 transfusions (which he performed on himself), he declared that he had stopped going bald, and had improved his eyesight. Unfortunately for Bogdanov, the science of transfusion was not very advanced and Bogdanov had not been testing the health of the blood he was using, or of the donors. In 1928, Bogdanov took a transfusion of blood infected with malaria and tuberculosis, and died soon after.

C Sam Born (1891-1959)

In 1910, a Russian-born sweet manufacturer called Sam Born emigrated to the USA and set up a business there. One day, when he was wondering how to make the sweet making process more efficient, he thought up an idea for a new machine. It was called the Born Sucker Machine and its job was to quickly and mechanically insert the sticks into lollipops. The new machine helped make the sweets and Sam's company into a huge success and in 1916, he was awarded 'the key to San Francisco'. In 1923, he founded the Just Born company, which is still going strong in the USA today.

D James Goodfellow (b. 1937)

Once the banks had decided they wanted to install cash machines, the next problem was how to confirm a customer's identity to allow money to be withdrawn. It was a Scottish man by the name of James Goodfellow who came up with the solution. In 1966, Goodfellow realized he could link a set of numbers, known only to the account owner, to an encoded card. If the two numbers matched, the person would receive their cash. This number became known as a Personal Identification Number or PIN. Goodfellow didn't get a penny for his idea, but he did receive an OBE* from the Queen in 2006.

*OBE - an award given in Britain for a special achievement

E Lady Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)

Women are behind a much larger number of inventions than they are generally given credit for. Until fairly recently in our society, women were not expected or required to be clever. In the past, traditional male and female roles did not encourage female education. It was even considered unacceptable for a woman to be clever or educated. Therefore, women who did have ideas and who did invent things, often hid the fact. Many women inventors didn’t even bother to apply for a patent. It wasn’t considered ladylike! For example, in 1842 Lady Ada Lovelace worked with Charles Babbage to invent the first computer. She was a brilliant mathematician, so she wrote the first computer programme. But she didn’t patent it, because it wasn’t socially acceptable for a woman of her class.

F John Harrison (1693-1776)

In 1707, after a series of accidents and finally a tragedy at sea, in which one thousand four hundred sailors were drowned, the British government believed that the best response to the disaster was a competition: the Longitude Prize. To win it, someone had to find a way of calculating how far a ship had travelled east or west from its point of departure. Geniuses such as Sir Isaac Newton had failed to find a solution, so to ensure the interest of Britain’s greatest scientific minds, the government offered a prize of £20,000 – the equivalent of £2.6 million in today’s money. But to everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t a famous academic who solved the problem, but an unknown carpenter. When John Harrison wasn’t working with wood, he was making clocks. An accurate clock would allow sailors to calculate their position, but at the time it was thought impossible to create a mechanical clock that could work on a ship. The movement of the sea and the changes in temperature destroyed the delicate parts. However, after three frustrated attempts, Harrison’s fourth sea clock, H4, finally triumphed. Its mechanics were so good that the H4 worked better than most clocks on land. Task 2

Read the text below about Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, and for questions 16-25 decide whether they are true (T), false (F) or not given (NG). For each question (16-25) circle the correct option (T, F or NG) on the answer sheet.

16 The story of Frankenstein warns against the misuse of knowledge.

17 People welcomed the changes that the Industrial Revolution would cause.

18 Mary was very well-known when she wrote the story.

19 Initially, the novel was unpopular because it was so shocking.

20 Mary had a similar character to her mother.

21 A game amongst friends inspired Mary to write the story.

22 A relative's views and breakthroughs in science both had impact on the book.

23 After finishing her novel, she went on to write romantic poetry.

24 Mary wrote other books about Dr Frankenstein's creation.

25 She also wrote about how human activity was going to benefit the world.

Science fiction: the early history

On a stormy, windswept night in 1815, a young, eighteen-year-old girl had a vivid nightmare. The nightmare was dreadful and deeply distressing, but it gave her an idea for a tale – a tale that would become the most recognized horror story in the world: the story of Frankenstein's monster (1818).

The novel recounts the trials of an ambitious young scientist, Dr Frankenstein, who uses his knowledge to bring an inanimate body to life, but then rejects the shocking 'monster' he creates. Many people confuse the title of the book – Frankenstein – with the monster itself. Frankenstein is the name of the scientist creator, and the monster itself has no name. It is usually referred to as 'Frankenstein's monster'.

At the time of writing, the story was a powerful warning against scientific advances and the Industrial Revolution, which was about to spread across Europe. Many artists and writers were concerned about this industrialization and the effect it would have on man's relationship with nature. They saw danger in the new scientific advances and a worrying desire to 'play God'. Frankenstein was also seen by some people as a revolutionary book because Dr Frankenstein creates life and is therefore challenging the role of God.

The author of Frankenstein was called Mary Shelley (1797-1851), and for many it was hard to believe that a young girl could write such a shocking story. But Mary was no ordinary eighteen-year-old. Her father, William Godwin, was a well-known philosopher and novelist, and her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, was a famous feminist. Unfortunately for Mary, her mother died shortly after she was born, but Mary inherited her rebellious spirit. At sixteen, she secretly ran away to France and then to Switzerland with the writer Percy Shelley, who was later to achieve fame as a romantic poet. In Switzerland, the couple stayed with the poet Lord Byron, and in the evenings they often entertained themselves by reading ghost stories. After a while, Byron suggested they write their own, and Mary decided she was going to write about her nightmare.

Mary Shelley's writing was strongly influenced by her father's ideas. He believed that people should only ever act altruistically (for the good of others), and that selfishness would bring about the breakdown of society. Mary's characterization of Dr Frankenstein is an example of this selfish behaviour and the disastrous results arising from it. Another important influence on Mary Shelley was the development of scientific knowledge during the early 19th century. While she and her husband were staying with Lord Byron in Switzerland, they discussed recent news stories about two scientists, Galvani and Aldini, who had apparently managed to re- animate dead tissue using electricity.

Mary's life with Percy was passionate and brief. When he died in a storm in Italy in 1822, Mary returned to England with her son and continued writing. Less than a decade after Frankenstein, Shelley would write one of the first science fiction visions of the end of the world; in her The Last Man (1826), the main character wanders alone over a dead planet, sampling the useless achievements of all human society. Mary Shelley set this scene in the year 2100.

She died in 1851, but Frankenstein lived on and, almost 200 years later, it's still influencing and inspiring contemporary popular culture.

Transfer your answers to the answer sheet! USE OF ENGLISH

Time: 35 minutes

Task 1

For questions 1-10, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

E.g. (0) has

Strategies for improving how you learn

Everyone (0) ...... a different learning style and knowing what style may help you to learn most effectively can, (1) ...... to some experts, optimize your learning experience. Although there are many different views (2) ...... the subject, there is general agreement that there are three basic styles: auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. Apparently, if you are an auditory learner you learn best by hearing and listening, so you will do well in formal lectures. Visual learners learn by seeing and looking. (3) ...... of this, they will react best to images and written information. Kinaesthetic learners learn by touching and doing things. They need to do hands-on activities in (4) ...... to learn most successfully. Most people tend to fall into more than one category though one style tends to be more prevalent than the others. If you are unsure (5) ...... kind of learner you are, there are many online questionnaires you can do to find out.

As soon as you have found out what your learning style is, there are a number of strategies you can (6) ...... into practice to improve how you learn. If you are a visual learner, you should take notes in class or in lectures if you are not provided with handouts. You will find it helpful to use a highlighter pen to emphasize the most important information. Also, try to find sources of information (7) ...... are illustrated. Visual stimuli, (8) ...... in a book or a video, will help you understand and remember things. If you are an auditory learner, you might benefit from recording a lecture (9) ...... than taking notes. You will learn from discussing your ideas with others, too. Kinaesthetic learners find it hard to sit still for long so if you are studying (10) ...... an exam, you will benefit from frequent breaks. Moving around while trying to memorize something or doing another activity at the same time will also be beneficial. Task 2

For items 11-25 match the name of the British or Russian scientist in the first column (11-25) with what they are most famous for in the second column (a-t). There are some extra achievements in the second column which you do not have to use.

Science, Technology & Innovations in Russia and the United Kingdom

11. Nicolai Lobachevsky a) is considered the founder of field surgery, regional anatomy and anesthesia. 12. Michael Faraday b) designed and patented 'his electrical speech machine', which we now call a telephone. 13. Timothy Berners- c) designed the world first passenger jet and the first supersonic Lee passenger aircraft. 14. Nikolay Pirogov d) was a leading rocket engineer and spacecraft designer and is considered by many as the father of practical astronautics. 15. Charles Babbage e) is the founder of hyperbolic geometry, which was later recognized as a valid alternative to Euclidean geometry. 16. Nikolay Vavilov f) is the founder of physiology of higher nervous activity and the first Russian Nobel Prize winner. 17. Alexander Graham g) is the founder of the theory of evolution. Bell 18. Ivan Pavlov h) and two other scientists shared a Noble Prize for the discovery of penicillin. 19. Stephen Hawking i) created a mathematical model for an expanding universe, which became the basis for the Big Bang theory. 20. Alexander Flemming j) was noted for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships and several lengthy bridges. 21. Isaac Newton k) is the author of several breakthrough discoveries in nuclear physics. 22. Alexander l) contributed to the field of electromagnetism and invented the Friedmann electric generator. 23. Alexander Popov m) showed that black holes would not last forever but explode in a fountain of radiation and particles. 24. Isambard Kingdom n) designed and built a state-of-the-art radio receiver but didn’t Brunel patent it. 25. Andrei Tupolev o) invented the first programmable computer but did not live to see the machine completed. p) investigated the structure of DNA but never shared the Nobel Prize with Crick and Watson as it is not awarded posthumously. q) invented the World Wide Web, the system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. r) discovered and documented three laws of motion in regard to physics and the mechanics of universal gravitation. s) was a botanist and geneticist, best known for establishing the scientific bases of selection. t) developed what would become his trademark invention: the bagless vacuum cleaner. Task 3 For items 26-35, read the text below on one of most popular takeaway food in Britain and choose A, B or C to fill in the gaps. Exploring Britain's fish and chips Journalist Jack Newberry explores the origins of one of the nation's favourite dishes.

In a recent UK survey, people were asked to name things they considered typically British. At the top of the list (in front of (26)...... ) was fish and chips, a traditional dish that has been enjoyed by the British for generations, and can be described in at least twenty-six different ways. In the north-east it's known as a 'fish lot', in Leeds 'fish and nerks', in Manchester 'a chippy tea' and so on. Battered fish and fried chips are a classic double act, yet they started life as solo performers, and their roots are not as British as you might think.

Fish fried in batter was introduced to England in the fifteenth century, arriving in London with Jewish immigrants who had fled their homes in Portugal to escape (27) ...... As these new immigrants settled down in the East End, their pescado frito became standard fare – so much so that on a visit to London in the late 1700s, the would-be third American president, (28) ...... wrote that he had eaten 'fish fried in the Jewish fashion.' By (29) ...... , fish fried in batter had become a regular part of the British diet, often sold by street sellers who carried it on large trays hung around their necks.

The origins of the chip are less clear. Depending on who you believe, we were given the chipped potato by either France or Belgium in the seventeenth century. According to popular folklore, one winter when the rivers froze over and there were no fish to fry, an adventurous housewife cut up some potatoes in the shape of fish and fried them instead. However, the first recorded appearance of chips in England was in (30) ...... novel A Tale of Two Cities (1859), which mentions 'husky chips of potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of oil.' Fried chipped potatoes were popular with the working classes during this time, especially migrant labourers. Many workers frequented eating houses where you could buy a meal including chipped potatoes for (31) ...... (or 2p).

Then, in 1860, a Jewish Londoner called Joseph Malin, noticing the success of fried fish and chipped potatoes, decided to combine the two. He started a fish and chip shop on Cleveland Street in the of London and business was so good that many other shops opened soon after. Luckily, fresh fish was in plentiful supply thanks to the rapid development of steam trawling in (32) ...... , and new railways were connecting ports to major industrial cities. As a result, by the early 1900s there were more than 30,000 'chippies'– traditional fish and chip shops – in England, satisfying the needs of the growing industrial workforce. This rise in the number of fish and chip shops shows that (33) ...... was fuelled by fish and chips!

Fish and chips was also heavily relied on throughout the two World Wars. According to one historian, 'the government knew it was vital to keep families on the home front in good heart' – and giving them fish and chips helped! During (34) ...... , the government acknowledged the power of this traditional dish again, and made sure fish and chips weren't included in the wartime ration* book.

Today fish and chips is still one of the most popular fast-food takeaways in the UK, with about 10,500 'chippies' selling nearly 276 million meals a year. Some people eat them as a lunchtime snack, others as an evening meal, and a few people actually serve them at wedding banquets! They're also a popular (35) ...... in tough times, which might explain the rise in sales during the economic crisis.

At Hammond's chip shop in Manchester, most customers have fish and chips with curry sauce – it's the most popular order. I watch the locals trudging back home through wind and rain, clutching their wrapped-up portions, and feel a sense of continuity, belonging and pride. People have been doing the same thing for almost 160 years, in all weathers, through good times and through bad. Fish and chips is a great British tradition with a fascinating history; a tradition which, like many others, has its origins elsewhere.

*ration – a fixed amount of food

26 A the MP B the PM C the Queen 27 A persecution B prosecution С perception 28 A George Washington B Thomas Jefferson С Abraham Lincoln 29 A the Middle Ages Britain B the Roman Britain С the Victorian era 30 A W. Thackeray's B Ch. Dickens' С W.Shakespeare's 31 A tuppence B a pound С a shilling 32 A the Black Sea B the Mediterranean С the North Sea 33 A the Glorious Revolution B the October Revolution С the Industrial Revolution 34 A the Anglo-Russian War B World War II С the War of Independence 35 A fast food B junk food С 'comfort food' Transfer all your answers to the answer sheet! WRITING Time: 35 minutes

Express your opinion on the following questions:

What contribution do the different nationalities living in the Russian Federation make to a multicultural society? How far do you think it is possible to be part of a federation like Russia, and still preserve your national identity?

Write about 180 – 200 words.

Remember to

 make an introduction;

 express your personal opinion on the problem and give reasons for your opinion;

 make a conclusion.

Write on the answer sheet in around 180-200 words.