8-9 клас

GRADE 8-9

Listening Comprehension

Dolphins to the Rescue

Stories of dolphins saving humans have existed since ancient times. Most of the stories tell of dolphins that saved people from drowning in the ocean. Sailors painted dolphins on their ships, and ancient Greek coins showed a dolphin with a boy riding on its back. Do these images and stories have any truth to them?

Todd Endris thinks so. He was sitting on his surfboard off a beach in California waiting for a good wave to ride. Suddenly, a great white shark attacked him. Endris held onto the board, but the shark attacked him a second time. The shark took hold of Endris’s leg and tried to pull him into the water. Just then, a group of dolphins arrived. They swam in circles between Endris and the shark. Endris was able to get back on his surfboard and reach the shore. An ambulance rushed him to the hospital. He lost a lot of blood from the attack and almost died. Endris believes the dolphins saved his life.

In New Zealand, four lifeguards were in the ocean when a great white shark came near them. It started to swim around them. The lifeguards thought the shark was going to attack. All of a sudden, a group of dolphins arrived. The dolphins swam between the lifeguards and the shark, and the lifeguards were able to escape.

In the Gulf of Aqaba, a British tourist was swimming. A group of sharks moved in and started to attack him. Three dolphins appeared. They jumped in and out of the water and hit the water with their tails. The sharks swam away. Once again, dolphins saved a human’s life.

Humans aren’t the only ones dolphins rescue. In New Zealand, two whales swam in shallow water. People tried to lead the whales back to deep water, but the whales kept swimming the wrong way. A dolphin appeared and swam between the rescuers and the whales. The whales immediately followed the dolphin as it led them to deep water.

Are dolphins as intelligent as they seem? Researchers at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in the United States study dolphin behaviour. They train dolphins to do various tasks. The dolphins get fish when they complete the tasks. One dolphin is very creative. She caught a seagull. She took it to the trainer, and she got a lot of fish from the trainer. Then the dolphin hid one of the fish and used it later to attract seagulls. She was able to catch another seagull and get more fish. Then she taught this to other dolphins. This type of behavior is clearly a sign of intelligence.

How do dolphins know when a human or an animal is in danger? The dolphin’s brain structure may help explain this. The dolphin’s brain is very heavy. It is 25 percent heavier than a human brain. It is also very large in comparison to the size of the dolphin itself. Humans have three separate areas of the brain, but dolphins have four. In humans, the senses are divided between two areas of the brain. In dolphins, the fourth area controls all the senses. Scientists don’t yet understand much about the dolphin brain. Perhaps having all of the senses in one part of the brain means dolphins are more aware of everything around them, including danger to others.

Todd Endris doesn’t need scientific research. He knows that dolphins are intelligent. Six weeks after the dolphins rescued him, he was back at the beach on his surfboard. Some people probably ask if he is intelligent!

GRADE 8 - 9

Listening comprehension test

1. Put down + if the statement is true, - if it is false (2 points each).

1) In the ancient world, there were many stories and images of dolphins rescuing humans.

2) In recent times, dolphins have saved people from shark attacks.

3) The dolphins swam between Endris and the surfboard helping him to reach the shore.

4) A dolphin in New Zealand helped four whales swim out of shallow water.

5) Scientists have just started to study the structure of the dolphin brain.

6) Dolphins can come up with new ways of doing things.

7) Dolphin researchers in a research institute in the USA used fish to attract seagulls.

8) One dolphin trained other dolphins to hit water with a tail.

9) The dolphin’s brain is 25 grams heavier than a human one.

10) One area of the dolphin’s brain controls the five physical abilities of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

2. Choose the correct letter (a, b or c) – (2 points each)

11) Since ancient times, people have thought of dolphins as …...

a) dangerous

b) rescuers

c) strange

12) Todd Endris was …….

a) surfing when a shark attacked him.

b) fishing when a shark attacked him.

c) sailing when a shark attacked him.

13) The text gives ____examples of dolphins saving humans.

a) one

b) two

c) three

14) How did dolphins save Endris?

a) They attacked the shark.

b) They swam between Endris and the shark.

c) They carried Endris back to the shore.

15) How did a dolphin help the whales in New Zealand?

a) It taught the whales to attract seagulls.

b) It led them to deep water.

c) It jumped in and out of the water to frighten sharks.

16) Why did the dolphin at the institute hide the fish?

a) because she wanted to eat the fish later

b) because the trainer gave her too much fish

c) because she wanted to use it to catch a seagull

17) The dolphin’s brain is …….

a) 25 percent heavier than a person’s brain

b) 25 grams larger than other mammals’ brains

c) 25 percent of its body weight

18) In a dolphin’s brain, the senses are…….

a) in one area of the brain

b) divided into three areas of the brain

c) divided between two areas of the brain

19) Scientists _______ the dolphin’s brain.

a) know a lot about

b) think that human brains are larger than

c) need to do more research on

20) After the accident with a white shark, Todd Endris…….

a) needs scientific research.

b) asks other people if he is intelligent.

c) continues to go in for surfboarding.

GRADE 8 - 9

Reading Comprehension, test 1

A Vacation That Is Out of This World!

Do you dream of staying in a luxury hotel? Do you want exceptional service, first-class amenities, and a unique design? How about beautiful scenery from every window? Would you book such a hotel and pay several million US dollars for just a few nights? That might sound crazy. However, imagine if the hotel takes you on an excursion into space! Today, there are a growing number of companies that have plans to open space hotels.

You would get to your hotel on a space shuttle. This would be one of the most exciting parts of your vacation. Imagine travelling so fast that you reach 1,000 kilometers per hour in less than one minute! Shuttles will take passengers to space hotels that will typically be about 483 kilometers above the Earth.

The design of a space hotel will be distinctly different from hotels on Earth. A foundation will not be necessary. The hotel will not look like a building on Earth. It may look like a wheel or a group of tennis balls. New structures can be built and then connected to a main structure. There are an unlimited number of structures that can be added to a space hotel.

The scenery you see from a space hotel will be amazing! Your view of Earth will keep changing as the hotel travels at 30,000 kilometers per hour. It will circle Earth every 90 minutes. You will see a sunset every 45 minutes. From the large windows, the moon and stars will feel close enough to touch.

Everything you do during your space vacation will be an exciting challenge because you will be weightless. If you participate in sports at the hotel, the sports equipment will be floating in the air while you are also floating. Imagine trying to eat in the hotel’s restaurant without dropping your food or spilling your drink. Where would it fall? You might even be able to go outside the hotel and walk in space. Of course, you would have to take lessons first so that you wouldn’t fly away!

Space tourism projects cost a lot of money. At first, only the super wealthy will make space their vacation destination. However, as space travel becomes less expensive, it will be available to more people. Perhaps one day in the future, you will be able to appreciate an out-of-this-world adventure.

1.    Choose the correct letter (a, b or c) – (1 point each)

1.    About how much will it cost for one night in a space hotel? a)    about $ 1,000,000 b)    about $ 100,000 c)    about $ 1,000 2.    What form of transportation will take people to a space hotel? a)    a helicopter b)    a space shuttle c)    a jet airplane 3.    About how far away from Earth will space hotels be? a)    1,000 kilometers b)    45 kilometers c)    483 kilometers

4. How often will a space hotel circle Earth? a) every 483 minutes b) every 90 minutes c) every 45 minutes 5. How often will you see a sunset from a space hotel? a) every 483 minutes b) every 90 minutes c) every 45 minutes

2. Put down + if the statement is true, - if it is false (1 point each).

6. The first vacation in space will be too expensive for most people.

7. Space hotels will have only basic amenities.

8. You will be weightless during your space vacation.

9. You will not be able to see Earth from a space hotel.

10. You would have to take lessons to fly away in space.

Reading Comprehension, test 2

The Story of Helen Adams Keller

Helen Adams Keller was born in Alabama in 1880 and died in 1968. Helen became deaf and blind after a short childhood illness when she was 19 months old. In 1886, aged six, Helen was introduced to Anne Sullivan, a twenty-year-old teacher who was partially blind. Anne was the first person to teach Helen the meaning of words. The first word that Helen learned was ‘water’ which Anne taught her by running cool water over the palm. Anne also taught Helen how to speak by touching the lips and throats of other people, which is known as the Tadoma method. Helen was very close to Anne, and called her ‘Teacher’. They remained close friends and companions for 49 years.

In 1894, Helen and Anne moved to New York to study at the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf. In 1898, Helen entered The Cambridge School for Young Ladies in Massachusetts and in 1900 was admitted to Radcliffe College. In 1903, she wrote an autobiographical book called The Story of my Life. In 1904, Helen graduated from Radcliffe College becoming the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college.

Helen became famous all over the world as an author and speaker and travelled to over 39 countries with Anne. Anne Sullivan died in 1936. Helen devoted the rest of her life to raising funds for blind and deaf people in America. In 1960, she published another book, entitled Light in my Darkness. She died in June, 1968 in Connecticut.

Helen Keller will always be remembered as an exceptional person who overcame her blindness and deafness to achieve great things. As she always said, ‘The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.’

Choose the correct letter (a, b or c) – (1 point each)

1. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?

a) to present us with a short biography of Helen Adams Keller

b) to talk about the success a deaf and a blind person can achieve in life

c) to explain why Helen Adams Keller is such an inspiring person

2. What would a reader learn about Anne Sullivan from the text?

a) She was like a sister to Helen.

b) She was Helen’s teacher and close friend.

c) She was an inspiration for Helen.

3. What did Helen do after she graduated from college?

a) She went to Massachusetts.

b) She wrote The Story of my Life.

c) She travelled around the world as an author and speaker.

4. Helen was an exceptional person because……

a) she managed to achieve great things.

b) she was the first blind and deaf person to write a book.

c) she raised funds for blind and deaf  people in America.

5. Which is the best description of Helen?

a) an unusual person who coped with blindness and deafness to achieve success

b) a blind and deaf author who travelled to over 39 countries

c) an exceptional blind woman who was a speaker and author

Reading Comprehension, test 3

Read the text below and choose the correct word (A, B, C or D) for each gap. - (1 point each)

Weather Around the World

           In the rainforest, it’s hot and 1)…… . There’s a lot of vegetation and wildlife. We saw

dolphins in the Amazon river and red Uakari monkeys in the jungle.

           In the 2)…… , it’s hot and 3)…… during the day, but it can be very 4)…… at night. It

doesn’t rain in the desert, and the lack of water means there’s always a risk of  5)…… .

           The Caribbean is an area where 6)…… are common. These storms move across the sea, so

islands and coastal towns are in danger from 7) …… as well as strong winds.

           There are no roads in the 8)……, so we travelled across the snow on sledges pulled by husky

dogs. It’s always 9)…… cold, but a 10)…… is really frightening – you can’t see anything except

snow, and the wind pushes the snow in your face and clothes.

1)	A dry	B humid	C boiling	D soaking
2)	A mountains	B rainforest	C desert	D Arctic
3)	A dry	B wet	C humid	D boiling
4)	A hot	B cold	C wet	D dry
5)	A drought	B heat wave	C thunderstorm	D snow
6)	A heat waves	B droughts	С hurricanes	D glaciers
7)	A lightning	B floods	C electricity	D storms
8)	A rainforest	B jungle	C glacier	D Arctic
9)	A freezing	B boiling	C snowing	D raining
10)	A thunderstorm	B heat wave	С blizzard	D hurricane

Reading comprehension, test 4

American Food

      The United States is a nation of immigrants. Its food reflects this. Walk through the downtown area of any major city. You’ll see a mix of restaurants offering a variety of dishes.

      Some of the most popular food in the United States is here because of immigration. For example, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican food was exotic to Americans before immigrants moved here and introduced their food. Now these types of food are a big part of American culture.

      People often associate dishes with specific countries. They assume that dishes in the U.S. are identical to the dishes served in the countries from which they came. This is not always true, however.

      Chop suey, a dish with vegetables, meat, and sauce, is a typical Chinese dish in the U.S. You can find it in any Chinese restaurant. But did the dish actually come from China? Or was it created in the U.S.? People aren’t sure. And what about fortune cookies? Those are the little cookies you get after a Chinese meal. Everyone gets pleasure from reading the message on the paper inside them. Historians say that they come from Japan, not China.

      One of the dishes that people in the U.S. associate with Italian food is spaghetti and meatballs. Both children and adults love this dish. It’s made with pasta, tomato sauce, and balls of meat. But in fact, it’s unlikely that this dish came directly from Italy. Pasta with sauce is typical in Italy, but this combination of pasta, sauce, and meatballs is not. And pasta is not only Italian. Historians say that pasta (noodles) was common in ancient Greece and China.

      In the U.S., people often call Mexican dishes by their original names, such as tacos or enchiladas. But these dishes are often prepared differently in the U.S. One of the biggest differences is how spicy the dishes are. Many people in the U.S. have a taste for very hot and spicy Mexican food. Some people use so many chili peppers that it actually causes pain. This is not typical in Mexico. In fact, some of the food that we call Mexican is actually more typical of the southwestern U.S., not Mexico.

      Next time you try a new and exotic dish here in the U.S., don’t assume that it came directly from a different culture. Maybe it was created right here in the United States!

Put down + if the statement is true, - if it is false (1 point each).

        1. Some dishes in the U.S. were brought by immigrants.

        2. Eating pasta, sauce, and meatballs together is typical in China, Greece and Italy.

        3. Some dishes in Mexico and the U.S. have the same name but are different.

        4. Food in Mexico is often spicier than Mexican food in the U.S.

        5. Some Mexican food in the U.S. comes from parts of the U.S.

                                           

GRADE 8 - 9

Writing Comprehension

(In this test you will select from three writing tasks.  Choose the one that you feel you are most capable to write about.)

1. A foreign visitor has only one day to spend in Ukraine. Where should this visitor go on that day? What dishes should he or she eat? What souvenirs should the visitor take back to his or her country?

________________________________________________________________________________

2.      People attend colleges or universities for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend schools? Use specific reasons and examples to support your ideas.

________________________________________________________________________________

3. How much time do you think parents should spend with their children? Is it easy for a woman to combine career and family obligations? Would you go on working if you had your own family?