Устный экзамен по английскому языку для учащихся 7 класса
материал по английскому языку (7 класс) по теме

Пояснительная записка

 к устному экзамену

 по английскому языку для 7 класса

        Предлагаемый экзаменационный материал нацелен на определение уровня подготовки по английскому языку учащихся 7 класса по итогам изучения курса. Результаты экзамена будут  использованы для выведения итоговой отметки по предмету  английский язык за  7 класс.

        Содержание экзаменационной работы определяется на основе Федерального компонента государственного стандарта основного общего образования. Основное общее образование. Английский язык (приказ Минобразования России от 05.03.2004 № 1089 «Об утверждении Федерального компонента государственных стандартов начального общего, основного общего и среднего (полного) общего образования»).

Характеристика структуры и содержания КИМ

        В работу по английскому языку включены: 1 задание на чтение аутентичного текста и ответов на вопросы по содержанию и 1 задание, включающее монологическое высказывание по предложенной в билете теме.   Экзаменационная работа по английскому языку состоит из 2-х частей. Часть 1 – чтение аутентичного текста и ответы на вопросы по содержанию. Часть 2  – монологическое высказывание по теме.    Распределение заданий по частям экзаменационной работы представлено в таблице 1.

Распределение заданий КИМ по содержанию и видам деятельности

Форма экзамена

        Экзамен проходит в устной форме и состоит из 11 билетов.

Продолжительность экзамена

        На выполнение экзаменационной работы отводится 15 минут.

Дополнительные материалы и оборудование

        На экзамене учащимся разрешается пользоваться англо-русским и русско-английским  словарями.

Критерии оценивания устного экзамена

по английскому языку

для 7 класса.

Задание 1. Чтение текста и его обсуждение с экзаменатором

Задание 2. Беседа с экзаменатором по теме.

БИЛЕТЫ ПО АНГЛИЙСКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ

ЗА КУРС ОСНОВНОЙ  ШКОЛЫ

 ДЛЯ 7 КЛАССА

БИЛЕТ 1  

1. Беседа по теме: I love Russia.

      2.  Чтение и обсуждение текста: The Great Romantic.

(предложен текст c вопросами)

БИЛЕТ 2

1. Беседа по теме: Russian people

      2.  Чтение и обсуждение текста: CHRISTMAS.

(предложен текст c вопросами)

БИЛЕТ 3

1. Беседа по теме: Surgut.
2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: Monsters of the sea?

(предложен текст c вопросами )

БИЛЕТ 4

1. Беседа по теме: The Russian Capitals.

     2.  Чтение и обсуждение текста: PACKING ( by Jerome K. Jerome)

(предложен текст c вопросами )

БИЛЕТ 5

1. Беседа по теме: Russian nature.
2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: The Earth.

(предложен текст c вопросами)

БИЛЕТ 6

1. Беседа по теме: Moscow.
2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: More about British traditions.

(предложен текст c вопросами )

БИЛЕТ 7

1. Беседа по теме: My favourite holiday.
2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: SCOTLAND

(предложен текст c вопросами )

БИЛЕТ 8

1. Беседа по теме: The seasons in Russia.
2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: The Boy who saved the Netherlands.

(предложен текст c вопросами )

БИЛЕТ 9

1. Беседа по теме: Sports in our life.
2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: All is well that ends well.

(предложен текст c вопросами )

БИЛЕТ 10

     1. Беседа по теме: Mikhael Lomonosov

     2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: The Rich Man and the Gold

(предложен текст c вопросами)

БИЛЕТ 11

      1. Беседа по теме: Yuri Gagarin

      2. Чтение и обсуждение текста: Where’s the lady? (предложен текст c вопросами)

TOPIC 1.

I love Russia.

Russia is my country. It is the biggest country in the world. Russia is situated on two continents: Europe and Asia. The Urals (the Ural mountains) form a natural border between the continents. Russia is a very rich country. There are many mountains, rivers, lakes and forests in my country, some of which are very beautiful.

The Volga is the longest river in Europe. It flows into the Caspian Sea. There are many beautiful old towns - both big and small on its banks. Practically all of them are interesting places, famous for their history.

Seas and oceans wash our Russia in the north, south, east and west. The Black Sea is in the south; the Baltic Sea is in the west. The Arctic Ocean washes my country in the north and in the east is the Pacific Ocean.

The plant and animal worlds of my country are also very rich. There are a lot of different animals, birds and plants in our forests, fields and mountains. Russia is also rich in gold, silver and other minerals.

One Russian symbol is the Russian national flag. This flag has got three wide stripes on it. The stripes are white, blue and red. The upper stripe is white, the middle stripe is blue and the red stripe is at the bottom. These colours have always been symbolic in Russia: white – noble and sincere, blue – honest and devoted – devoted to friends, family and to the country. The red colour has always meant love and bravery.

The other symbol of Russia which all Russian people know and love is the birch tree. You can find these trees everywhere. People sing beautiful songs with poetic words about birch trees and plant them near their houses. In old Russian towns people often call young lovely girls little birch trees (beryozka, beryozon’ka).

Russia is my country and I love it very much.

TOPIC 2.

Russian people.

Russia is a rich country. It is rich in forests and mountains, rivers and lakes. There are a lot of wonders in Russia. But it is true to say that Russia is most famous for its people.

Whoever comes to Russia always finds wonderful people who live in different cities, settlements and villages.

Russian people are talented. We can name many of those who are famous all over the world.

In America and Australia, in Europe and Asia, people read novels by Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, Feodor Dostoevsky. You can see plays by Chekhov in New York and Paris, in London and Delhi. People on many different continents listen to beautiful music by Peter Tchaikovsky and Michael Glinka.

Practically everybody who comes to Russia says that Russian songs, though often sad, are very beautiful. Though people don’t understand the words, they can listen to the sounds and melodies of Russian songs for hours.

Russian people have made many discoveries in different fields of science and industry, medicine and culture. People all over the world know the name of Yuri Gagarin ,the 1st Russian cosmonaut.

Russia has many brilliant pilots and workers, teachers and dancers, engineers and doctors. .In fact,  there are excellent specialists in every field.

When foreign guests leave Russia they usually say different things about the country. Some of them like it, others do not. They often criticize many things in Russia. But practically everybody says that Russian people are wonderful. They are open, kind and very hospitable.

Let’s hope that our new life won’t change the heart and soul of our people.

TOPIC 3.

Surgut.

Surgut is situated in the north of Russia. It is in the middle of the Western Siberia plain. It is 3,500 kilometres from Moscow, the capital of Russia.

The centre of our region is Tyumen.

Surgut is rather a big city, nearly 400 000 people live here.

Mainly people from different regions of our country and from other countries come to Surgut to work and to live. Most citizens work in oil and gas industry.

There are also some ethnic groups in our region. The biggest groups are khanty and mansy. They live in the forests, gather berries, mushrooms and nuts; they breed deer; go hunting and fishing.

Khanty and mansy have their own traditions and language. Their language is rather difficult.

Our region is famous for its rivers; the Ob and the Irtish. There aren’t any mountains here. Our landscape is not varied, just forests and moors. People made some lakes for industrial needs.

Our climate is very severe with cold long winters and short cool summers. I think that the people from Surgut can’t say that they like its climate.

There are many big shops, cinemas, theatres, clubs and cultural and sports centres in the town where people can relax and have a rest.

Surgut has many schools, colleges and universities where a lot of pupils and students study.

Different museums (for example: Stary Surgut) tell the visitors about the history of our city. We like to walk in the parks, like the Saima park and watch squirrels and listen birds there.

The symbol of Surgut is the Black Fox.

Our city is young and old, but it has its own image and individuality.

I love my town very much.

TOPIC 4.

The Russian Capitals.

The capital of Russia is Moscow. Moscow is an old city but it is also a young city. Although it is more than 800 years old, you can see a lot of new, modern houses in it. The city is situated on seven hills. On one of them is the Kremlin with its beautiful red walls and famous towers.

The Kremlin is certainly the heart of Moscow.

Chronicles first mentioned Moscow in 1147. It was a little settlement at the top of a hill looking over the Moskva river, a settlement founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky.

Moscow grew and very soon it became one of the best cities in Russia. The white stone walls and towers of the Kremlin appeared and Moscow became a strong fortress.

In the XVI century Moscow was one of the largest cities in Europe.

In 1712 the Russian king, Tsar Peter the Great moved the Russian capital to St Petersburg, a new city founded in 1703 on the banks of the Neva River. The new capital in the north-west of Russia grew and became very important. But Moscow was important too. Moscow was famous for its churches, museums and cultural centres.

In 1918 Moscow again became the capital of Russia.

Now Moscow is a big industrial, political and cultural centre of our country.

TOPIC 5

Russian nature

Russian nature is beautiful. There are many long rivers, large fields, big forests in my Motherland. All Russian poets and writers wrote about Russian nature. My favourite tree is a birch tree. It is white and black. A birch tree is like a young tall girl.

Russian forests are wonderful in summer and in autumn.

In summer the fields and the forests are full of beautiful flowers.

In autumn the forests and the gardens get yellow, red and brown. Autumn is a “tasty” season: there are vegetables in the gardens and a lot of berries and mushrooms in the forests. In some woods you can see wild animals: bears, deer, wolves, squirrels.

Spring is a wonderful season too. In spring the forest looks young and quiet. There is fresh green grass in the fields and in the forests, in the gardens and in the parks.

 And in winter white trees covered with snow look fantastic.

One of my favourite places in Russia is a lake which is near my summer house. It is deep and clean. There are many fishes in it. I like to go fishing and boating. The air is so fresh!

I love Russian nature.

TOPIC 6

Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia. It is one of the biggest and most beautiful cities in the world.

Moscow is a modern city now. The population of the city is more than 10 mln people, Moscow is a political centre where the government of our country works.

Moscow was founded in 1147 by Yuri Dolgoruky.

Moscow is a port of five seas, as the Moscow-Volga Canal links Moscow with the Baltic, White, Caspian and Black seas and the Sea of Azov.

There are a lot of theatres, museums, cinemas and art galleries in Moscow. The Bolshoi Theatre is one of the most famous theatres all over the world. The Tretyakov Art Gallery is a treasure-house of Russian art.

Tourists like to visit the Kremlin and the Red Square in the centre of Moscow.

There are many fine buildings, wide street, green parks, large squares, churches and monuments in the capital.

Many young people come to Moscow to study in different universities. One of the most famous is the State Moscow University. It was founded in 1755 by the great scientist Mikhail Lomonosov.

Moscow is a very big city and its transport must be comfortable and fast. The Moscow metro began its work in 1935. It is a beautiful and convenient one.

There are nine railway stations and some airports around the city.

There are many sports centers and stadiums in Moscow, too. Many competitions and football matches are held there.

All Russian people are proud of Moscow.

TOPIC 7

My favourite holiday.

There are many holidays in our country. They are: New Year’s Day, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Victory Day, May Day and others.

I like New Year’s Day, it’s my favourite holiday. The 1st of January is a winter holiday and now it is the first day of the New Year.

Peter the First changed the Russian calendar in 1699.

The 1st of January is in the middle of winter. The weather is usually fine and there is a lot of snow everywhere. We usually have got a very interesting New Year’s party at school. We have got it on the 28th or 29th of December.

As the 1st of January is a holiday I don’t go to school and my parents don’t go to work.

Our family prepares for this holiday beforehand. My father buys and brings home a beautiful New Year’s tree. I like to decorate it with toys, little coloured lights, sweets and a beautiful star on the top.

My granny prepares our holiday supper and lays the table. My mum makes a cake.

We like to see the New Year in at home with our relatives.

At 12 o’clock we are sitting at the table and we say to each other:” Best wishes for the New Year!”  The New Year’s Day is always connected with our new hopes and dreams.

My parents put their presents under the New Year’s tree. When Father Frost and his Granddaughter Snegurochka come we all get nice presents with sweets, chocolate, tangerines and other useful and tasty things. I like to get presents from my family and relatives.

We don’t go to bed till morning, we watch TV, dance, eat tasty things and make jokes.

I enjoy this holiday very much.

TOPIC 8

The seasons in Russia.

Winter, spring, summer and autumn are the seasons of the year.

December, January and February are winter months. The weather is cold. Usually it snows. The days are short and the nights are long. You can see snow everywhere. The rivers and lakes freeze and we can go skating and skiing.

March, April and May are spring months. It is a very nice season. The weather is fine, it is warm. There are many green trees in the streets, in the parks and in the yards. Sometimes it rains but as usual the sun shines brightly. The birds return from the hot countries and make their nests.

June, July and August are summer months. It is hot or warm. The sun shines brightly, the sky is blue and you can’t see any clouds in the sky. The days are long and the nights are short. There are many green trees and nice flowers in the parks and in the squares in summer. The pupils don’t go to school; they have got their summer holidays.

September, October and November are autumn months. It is cool. The weather is changeable. It often rains. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. The birds prepare to fly to the South. One can see yellow, red, brown leaves everywhere. It is time for gathering harvest.

Our country is beautiful in every season.

But my favourite season is….., because…

TOPIC 9

Sports in our life

Sport is very important in our life. It is popular among young and old people.

Many people do morning exercises, jog in the morning and train themselves in sports clubs, in different sections and take part in sport competitions.

Other people like sports too, but they only watch spots games, listen to sports news. They prefer reading interesting stories about sportsmen. But they don’t go in for sports.

Physical training is an important subject at our school. Pupils have got PE lessons three times a week. Boys and girls run, jump and play volleyball, basketball, football. There is a sportsground near our school and schoolchildren go in for sports in the open air.

A lot of different competitions are held at school and in our city, many pupils take part in them. All participants try to get good results and become winners. Sport helps people to keep in good health.

There are some popular kinds of sport in our country: football, volleyball, hockey, wrestling, gymnastics, skiing, skating, athletics. Russian sportsmen won the Sochi Olympic Games and got many medals.

Everybody may choose the sport he or she is interested in.

My favourite sport is….(swimming. I go to the swimming pool twice a week. I prefer to rest by the lake or the river and swim there. This sport helps me in my everyday life).

TOPIC 10

Mikhael Lomonosov

Mikhael Lomonosov is the father of the Russian science, an outstanding poet, the father of  Russian literature.

Mikhael Lomonosov was born in 1711 in Arkhangelsk province. He liked to spend his time fishing with his father. He began to read himself when he was a little boy. He wanted to study and when he was 19 he went on foot to Moscow. He decided to enter the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. He entered it and six years later in 1736 he was sent abroad to complete his studies in chemistry and mining. Lomonosov worked hard and he became a great scientist. Lomonosov was a physicist, a painter, an astronomer, a geographer, a historian and a stateman.

Mikhael Lomonosov made a telescope. He observed a lot of stars and planets with his telescope. Lomonosov wrote the first scientific grammar of the Russian language. He wrote many poems.

Lomonosov built a factory near Petersburg. It was the factory where  glass was produced. Lomonosov was the founder of the first Russian University. This University is named after Lomonosov and is situated in Moscow.

Mikhael Lomonosov died in 1765. But people  know and remember him.

TOPIC 11

Yuri Gagarin

Yuri Gagarin was the first cosmonaut in the world. Yuri Gagarin was born on the 9th of March 1934, in the Smolensk region.

Yura was an active, brave and curious boy. His father was jack of all trades and he helped his son when Yura made toy planes by hand. But the war began and Gagarin’s family left their house and had to live in a dug-out (землянке).

After the war the family moved to Gzhatsk, now Gagarin.

In 1951 Gagarin graduated from a vocational school in Lyubertsy near Moscow.

Yuri Gagarin attended an aeroclub and began to fly when he was a student of a technical secondary school in Saratov.

In 1955 he entered a school for pilots. Then he became a pilot and joined the first group of cosmonauts.

In 1960 Gagarin began to prepare for the flight into space.

On the 12th of April 1961, Yuri Gagarin flew into space and spent 108 minutes there. It was the first time in history that the Russian spaceship “Vostok” with the man on board was in space. After his flight he visited many countries and saw millions of people. Gagarin became a Hero of our country.

He died in 1968 , but people always remember the first Russian cosmonaut.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Read the text and answer the questions:

The Great Romantic

Lord Byron (1788-1824) didn’t live a long life. He was an aristocrat and a fashionable man. But he loved freedom (свободу) and a simple country life. His personality attracted Britain and all Europe. He brought to his poetry romanticism of his times. He was talented and handsome, noble and brave. London admired him.

 George Gordon Byron was born on January 22nd, 1788. He was the son of John Byron and his wife, Catherine, whose ancestors (предки) were of the royal house of Stuart. He spent his early years outside the capital. He lived in the north. Later his mother took him to Aberdeen. There they lived for several years. George went to Aberdeen Grammar School and there is a monument to him outside the school. Now it is a museum and art gallery. Later he studied at   Harrow School and the University of Cambridge.

When Byron was 19, he came to London. One day the poet wrote, “I woke up (проснулся) and found myself (обнаружил, что я) famous.”  It happened after the publication of his autobiographic poem “Childe Harold” in 1812.

 The fact is that from 1809 to 1811 he had traveled in different parts of Europe and in the poem he described everything that had happened to him.

In the summer of 1816 Byron left Britain forever (навсегда). He traveled around Europe and soon he became a member of the Greek liberation movement (освободительное движение), for which he died. But he did not lead the Greeks in battle as he wished. He died of fever (лихорадка). (262 words)

1) When and where was G. Byron born?

2) Where did he study?  

3) What did he describe in the poem?

4) Why did London admire him?

5) When did he die?

 1. Read the text and answer the questions:

CHRISTMAS

         The 25th of December is Christmas Day. It’s a happy holiday for many people in different countries.

         Some week before Christmas English people are busy. They send greeting cards to all their relatives and friends. You can buy Christmas cards or you can make them. Many children make their cards at school.

         People buy a Christmas tree and decorate it with toys, coloured balls and little coloured lights.

         On Christmas Eve people put their presents under the tree. When children go to bed, they put their stockings near their beds.

         At night Father Christmas comes. He has got a big bag of presents for children. He puts the presents in the children’s stockings.

         Every year there is a very big Christmas tree in the centre of London, in Trafalgar Square. This is a present from the people of Norway to the people of Great Britain. They send it to Londoners every year and Londoners decorate the Christmas tree.

         In the evening before Christmas people like to come to Trafalgar Square to look at the tree. On Christmas Eve streets in London are decorated, too.

         The shops are very busy at Christmas. People want to buy presents for their family and friends (for their nearest and dearest). And they buy a lot of food and drink for all the Christmas parties.

         People open their presents on Christmas morning and they all are happy with what they get.

         For Christmas lunch people eat turkey, potatoes and green vegetables. Then they have the Christmas pudding. At five o’clock it’s time for tea and Christmas cake.

           On Christmas people wish their nearest and dearest a merry Christmas.

         The day after Christmas is Boxing Day. People usually visit their relatives and friends. They do not work on that day.

      1) Why are people busy some weeks before Christmas?

2) Where can people get Christmas cards?

     3)  Where is a Christmas tree from?

     4) What are the traditional Christmas dishes?

     5) What is Boxing Day?

     6) Do English people like Christmas?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.            

Monsters of the sea?

         People have always been afraid of sharks. Films like “ Jaws” have shown them as monsters. But now these animals are in danger, like many others.

In recent years, shark meat has become a popular food in America. Too much fishing has begun to reduce the numbers of some kinds of shark. Some people say this is a good thing. Sharks kill about twenty-five people a year near the world’s beaches. Are we going to help sharks, or are they going to become extinct?

      It’s hard to solve the sharks’ “ image” problem and change people’s minds about them. Sharks are hunters and so they naturally kill. But actually elephants kill more people than sharks every year – and every–one likes elephants.

       Sharks are very important for the world’s oceans. They eat unhealthy fish and keep the numbers of different kinds of sea animals in balance. Now scientists are trying to find way to protect these animals. They have been in the oceans for 350 million years. Perhaps they can survive a little longer.

1. Are people afraid of sharks?

2. Why are sharks in danger now?

3. Do people think it is good that the number of some kinds of  sharks has reduced? Why?

4. Are sharks important for the world’s ocean?

5. What do scientists try to do with this problem? Why?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.            

                                PACKING by Jerome K. Jerome

      Holiday time was near now, and we, that is, Harris and George and I met to discuss our plans. Harris said that the first thing was to discuss what to take with us. He also said that we couldn't take the whole world in a boat. They could take what they really needed.

     "It is very important," Harris said, "to have everything we need for a long swim every morning before breakfast." He also said that a long swim always gave him fine appetite. "If you're going to eat more than you usually do," George said, "I think we'll let you go swimming not more than once in three or four days. If you go swimming every day, we'll never have enough food for you. We won't be able to carry so much in the boat. "

      So we discussed the food question. "Begin with breakfast," George said. "For breakfast we must have a tea-pot," Harris said, "ham, eggs, bread and butter and jam. It's easy to prepare breakfast with such things. And for lunch — cold meat, bread and butter and jam — but no cheese. "

        We agreed. Cheese in a boat in summer, little by little becomes the master of all the food. You may think you're eating sausage or meat and potatoes or cake, but it all seems to be cheese.

1. What is the text about?
2. Where did the friends want to go?
3. What could give Harris a good appetite?
4. Why was cheese the "master" of all food in summer?
5. Whose idea was to take few clothes?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.            

                                        The Earth.

We live on the Earth. It is very, very big. There is a lot of water on the Earth. It is in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans. There are a lot of forests and fields, hills and mountains on it.

The Earth is full of wonders. Different animals live on the Earth. Different plants grow on it. The Earth is beautiful.

There are large countries and small countries. There are warm countries and cold countries. There are some countries where there are four seasons in a year and some countries where there are only two.

When it is day in one country it is night in another country.

When the sun shines it is day, when the sun does not shine it is night. You can see the moon and the stars in the sky at night.

People live in different countries. They speak different languages.

Our country is Russia. Russia is the largest country in the world. Our country is so large that when it is morning in the east, it is evening in the west. When it is winter in the north it is summer in the south.

There are a lot of long rivers, beautiful lakes, large forests and fields and high mountains in Russia.

People who live in Russia speak more1 than one hundred different languages but they can speak Russian too.

1.Where do people live?

2.Is the Earth big or small?

3.What is there on the Earth?

4. Where is there water on the Earth?

5.The Earth is beautiful, isn't it?

6.Why do we say that the Earth is full of wonders?

7.Why  do people speak different languages.?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.

More about British traditions.

Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs. In Britain traditions play a more important role in the life of people than in other countries. They say British people are very conservative . They are proud of their traditions  and carefully keep them up. But when we speak about British traditions we always remember that there are four parts in Britain — England,  Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Traditions are different in these parts of the country.

You already know some of the English traditions and holidays. We hope you remember St. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Hallowe'en which have also become traditional American holidays. Here are some more facts about old English traditions.

    One of the old English legends  says that London can be the capital of the country, rich and great until twelve black ravens live in the Tower of London. Each has got its name and the keepers carefully look after them. If one of the birds dies, another younger raven takes its place. Londoners believe this legend and always bring some food to give to the birds when they come to the Tower. The keepers cut the birds' wings a bit as they are afraid that they may fly away.

Another old English tradition is Guy Fawkes Day. Children go out into the streets on the 5th of November with figures  like scarecrows. They stand in the streets and squares asking for the usual "Penny for the Guy". Then with the money they have collected they buy fireworks and burn the guy (the figure like a scarecrow) on their bonfire.

People watch fireworks and some people go to parties in the evening.

 Though different countries have different traditions and holidays people all over the world know some of them. They are — Easter, Christmas and New Year.

1. Every country has its own traditions and customs.
2. There are no common traditions all over the world.
3. English people celebrate Maslenitsa.

192743632. There are some common holidays in  England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
192743633. London  can  be  great  until   10  black  ravens  live in the Tower.
192743634. English people celebrate Guy Fawkes Day on the 5th of November.

1. Read the text and answer the questions. 

SCOTLAND

      Although Scotland forms a part of the United Kingdom, it has a distinct character of its own. In area it is more than half as big as England. Its population is, however, only one-eighth as great — about 5 200 000.

      Scotland is a land of romance and it has had a most eventful history. The Picts and Celts lived there before the coming of the Romans to Britain. Those Northern tribes worried the Romans so much that the Great Wall was built to protect the Roman camps in the Northern part of England.

      It was in the 11th century that the Normans began to settle in Scotland. Almost all of  Scotland's history is associated with and reflected in many castles and forts that are to be seen all over the country. They are very picturesque, having retained their medieval features: stern, proud, impressive, perched high on a rock or at a hillside. Mary, Queen of Scots, the beautiful Mary Stuart was married in one of them, her son James (who was to become James I of England) was born in another.

      And now some words about the Highlands. For centuries the Highlands were a strange land, where the king's law common to all the rest of the country, wasn't even known, where wild people spoke a language no one could understand. Long after the rest of Britain adopted modern ways they kept to the old life.

      In 1603 King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England too, and from then onwards the countries were under the same monarch, though the Act of Union was not passed until 1707. This Act incorporated Scotland with England in the United Kingdom, but the Scots kept their own legal system, religion and administration, centred in Edinburgh.

      Edinburgh – the capital of Scotland has always been admired as one of the most beautiful cities. Glasgow – its second city – always had a bad reputation. It was too often seen as a dirty, run-down urban area. But no longer. The buildings have been cleaned up, the streets are tidy and the people now take an obvious pride in their city. Glasgow was chosen to be the cultural capital of Europe 1890.

Not far from Glasgow there is one of the most famous of Scotland's many lakes (called «lochs»), Loch Lomond. Scottish numerous valleys are known as «glens». Scotland is a country with an intense and living national tradition of a kind only too rare in the modern world. It has its distinctive national dress, the kilt, worn only by men. It also has its own typical musical instruments (the pipes, sometimes called «the bagpipes»), its own national form of dancing, its own songs, language, traditions and education. Scotland has even its own national drink, a fact so widely known that one need only ask for «Scotch».

Notes: The Picts and Celts – пикты и кельты (племена)

       to pass the Act — принять Акт/Закон (в парламенте)

      1. What is the population of Scotland?

      2. Why was the Great Wall built?

      3. Why are there so many castles in the country?

      4. What's the country's second city?

      5. What do they call Scottish valleys and lakes?

      6. Are national traditions still alive in Scotland?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.

The Boy who saved the Netherlands.

Many years ago in Haarlem, Holland, there lived a young boy. His name was Hans Brinker and he was eight years old. One autumn day, Hans went across the canal to visit an old blind man. He took the man some biscuits and stayed there for a while. Then, Hans decided to return home.

"Be careful, Hans," said the old man. "The water in the canal usually gets higher in autumn." On his way home, Hans sang a song, watched the rabbits run around and picked some flowers for his mother. Suddenly, the sky got dark and heavy rain began to fall. Hans felt scared and started to run. Just then, he heard the sound of water flowing away. He looked around carefully, then noticed a very small hole in the dike.

Hans felt frightened because he knew what could happen. The small hole could get bigger and bigger. Then, the dike could burst and flood Holland! Hans knew what to do. He put his finger in the hole, so no more water could come through it. "Please, someone help me!" Hans shouted. But there was no one there to help him. After a while, he began to feel very cold and tired, but he could not leave the dike. All night long, Hans waited and waited ...

The next morning, a priest walked by and heard Hans' cries. "I'm trying to stop the water," the boy said. "Can you help me?" The priest called some other people and they quickly mended the hole. Finally, they took Hans home. Everyone was very proud of that brave little boy!

1. Where did Hans Brinker do one day?

2. What happened on his way home?

3. Why could a small hole in the dike become dangerous?

4. How did the boy save Holland?

5. Who helped Hans?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.

All is well that ends well.

One gorgeous, sunny day last summer, Claire and her friend Greg went to Longleat Safari Park.

When they drove into the park, they closed the car windows tightly. "We don't want to be a lion's lunch," Claire laughed. Soon, they saw some lions. Greg stopped the car very close to the lions and started taking pictures of them. The lions roared loudly. "They're beautiful, but nothing happened”. Suddenly, smoke began to come out of the engine.

A few minutes later, the front of the car was on fire. They wanted to jump out of the car, but they couldn't because the lions were around it. They were both really scared. "We'll burn alive!" Claire screamed desperately. She beeped the horn and shouted for help. Just then, a park ranger came along the road in his jeep. "Hold on, we'll get you out!" he shouted. Almost immediately, another jeep arrived and chased away the lions. Claire and Greg jumped out of the car quickly and ran towards the jeep.

When they were safe inside the jeep, they thanked the park ranger for his help. They were still shocked, but happy. They knew they were very lucky to be alive.

1. Where did Claire and her friend Greg go one day?

2. Why did they close the car window tightly?

3. Was their trip lucky?

4. Why couldn’t they leave the burning car?

5. Who helped them?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.

The Rich Man and the Gold

There was once a very rich man. He had three cars and two houses and many other things.

One day he said, «I am getting old. I’m going to sell everything and buy a big piece of gold. »

He sold his houses and his cars and everything and he bought a very big piece of gold. He dug a hole near a tree, and he put the piece of gold into the hole. «No one will find my gold here», he said.

Every day he went back and dug up the gold. He looked at it and said, «Good! My gold is there». Then he put the gold back into the hole and put the earth back on top of it.

But one day there was a man behind the tree. He was a thief and he was asleep. The rich man didn’t see the thief. He dug up the gold and looked at it. «Good! » he said, «My gold is there». The thief woke up and looked round the tree. «What is the man putting into the hole? » he thought. «I’m going to find out». The rich man put the gold back into the hole and went away. Then the thief went to the hole and dug up the gold. «A big piece of gold! » he said. «It’s my gold now. I am a rich man. » He ran off with the gold and never came back. The next day the first man came back and began to dig. He dug and he dug but he did not find the gold. «My gold is not here», he said. «I am not a rich man now. I have no gold! » and he began to cry. Then he went home and told one of his friends. His friend said, «Don’t cry. Here is a big stone. Take it and put it in the hole. Then every day you can go and dig it up and look at it».  A piece of gold in a hole is no better than a stone.

1. What did a rich man decide to do with his money?

2. Where did he put his piece of gold?

3. Who stole the piece of gold?

4. Did the rich man find his piece of gold?

5. What did his friend tell him to do?

1. Read the text and answer the questions.

Where’s the lady?

Catherine was five years old. She often went to the shops with her mother. She liked toys very much, and she often stopped and looked at them in the shops, but her mother usually said,

« Don’t stop and look at the toys today, Catherine. It’s late».

Catherine’s mother did not usually go to the shops on Saturdays, because she always had a lot of work at home on that day, but last Friday evening her husband said, «Some of my friends are going to visit us on Sunday», and she didn’t have much food in the house.

She took Catherine at 10 o’clock on Saturday morning, and they went to the shops together. Catherine’s mother said to her, «Stay near me, Catherine, and don’t stop and look at the toys today».

Catherine said, «Yes, Mummy, » and she held her mother’s hand. But then her mother had a lot of parcels, and Catherine stopped holding her hand.

They came to the best shop in the town. There were quite a lot of men in front of it. There was a beautiful toy bear in one of the windows, and Catherine stopped for a few seconds and looked at it. Then she looked for her mother, but she was not there. There were only men round Catherine, and they were all much taller than she was.

Catherine was very young, but she was a clever girl. She did not cry. There was a policeman in the middle of the street near the shop. Catherine waited at the side of the road for a minute, and then the policeman stopped the cars and the buses. Catherine went to him and said, «Good morning. Have you seen any ladies in this street this morning? »

«Yes, I have», the policeman said. «A lot of ladies have passed me this morning».

«And has one passed you without a small girl? » Catherine said.

«Yes, » the policeman said.

Catherine said happily, «I’m the small girl. Where’s the lady? »

1. What did small Catherine like more in the shops?

2. Did her mother like it?

3. Why did mother go shopping one day with Catherine?

4. What happened in a big shop?

5. How did Catherine try to find her mother?