GRADE 8
Part 1.
Reading
Read the texts about famous women.
For questions 1- 5, put the correct letter (A-H)
on your answer sheet.
- Florence Nightingale was impatient with a life
without meaningful purpose. By age 24, Florence rejected a marriage
proposal and decided to be a nurse. For several years Florence pleaded
with her parents, with God and suffered a near nervous breakdown, but
never considered disobeying her parents’ wish. At last, in 1851 her
parents permitted her to study nursing at an institution in Germany. Two years later, she was appointed
superintendent of the institution. Her administration was very successful
and so were the changes made to the institution.
- Louisa May Alcott lived most of her life in
Boston and Concord. She worked as a teacher for a short time. Next, she
worked as a housekeeper and finally began writing. Her first books were
written quickly. Then, Alcott volunteered to be a Civil War nurse, where
she caught typhoid and was sent home. But, from this experience her book Hospital Sketches became famous.
Soon, her stories were chosen for the Atlantic
Monthly. Her most popular book was Little
Women. It described her own childhood, as many of her other books: Aunt Joe’s Scrap Bag, Little Men, Eight
Cousins and others.
- Marie Curie was born Maria Sklodowska as
the fifth and youngest child of Bronislava Boguska, a pianist, singer and
teacher and Wladislaw Sklodowski, a professor of mathematics and physics.
From young she was remarkable for her prodigious memory and at the age of
16 she won a gold medal on a competition of her secondary education at
Russian lycee. In 1891, she went to Paris. She worked late hours and
virtually lived bread and butter and tea. In 1904 she was placed the
second in the license of mathematical sciences. It was then that she
married Pierre Curie, a famous scientist.
- Valentina Tereshkova was born in Yaroslavl region of
the former USSR. Soon after starting work in a textile mill at the age of
18, Valentina joined an amateur parachuting club. She was a hard worker.
Later, at the age of 24, she applied to become a cosmonaut. On June 16,
1963 Tereshkova was launched into space aboard Vostok 6. She became the first woman to travel in space. Her
flight lasted 48 orbits totaling 70 hours 50 minutes in space. She spent more
time in orbit than all the US Mercury astronauts combined. Valentina
received the Order of Lenin and Hero of the Soviet Union awards for her
historic flight.
- Margaret Thatcher was born in England in the
family of grocer and dressmaker. Her father was involved in local
politics. Early in her life she decided to be a member of the Parliament.
In 1950 Margaret married Denis Thatcher, got her degree from Oxford and
worked there as a research chemist. In 1959 she won a seat in Parliament.
In 1970 to 1974 she served as the Minister of Education and Science. In
1979 general elections Mrs. Thatcher became the first woman to be elected
Prime Minister of Great Britain. She resigned in 1990. She was awarded an
Order of Merit award by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Who
- was a bright pupil? _C_
- was honored with the title of
Hero for her historic deed? _____
- waited for her parental
permission to realise her dream to become a nurse? ____
- succeeded as a leader and was
awarded the order for her remarkable work for the country? ____
- worked as a nurse at war? ____
- was an outstanding scientist?
____
Part 2.
Reading
Look at the
statements 1-10 about advice for new students at a university. Read the text
below to decide if each statement is correct or incorrect. If it is correct,
mark A. If it is incorrect, mark B.
1. Some
centres are open all winter.
2. The
activities available depend on the weather.
3. Action
Sports Camps courses are unsuitable for people who are excellent at sport.
4. You need
to have your own sports equipment.
5. Children
and adults spend some time together each day.
6. Some of
the staff are unqualified.
7. Action
Sports Camps only recommend accommodation of a high quality.
8. You have
to pay the total fee one month after you book.
9. Action
Sports Camps charge you more if you pay with your credit card.
10. If you
cancel three weeks before your camp, you will get half your money back.
SPORTS CAMPS
Action
Sports Camps provide activity holidays for children aged over five and adults.
We offer training in over twenty sports at ten different centres throughout the
UK. All the centres are open from April until October and some open during the
winter for weekend courses. The sports offered differ from one centre to
another so if you want to do something in particular you should check our
colour brochure.
The camps
are not just limited to outdoor sports - we cover a wide range of indoor
activities as well. So if the rain comes, the camps continue although you may
have to take off your football boots and pick up a squash racket instead. With
the experience we've gained over the years, we put together the right mix of
sport and activities providing sport for all, not just for those who are
brilliant at athletics. It is unnecessary to bring any equipment because it is
all provided.
We work in
small groups, children working with others of their own age, but we do all come
together for social activities and meals. So, different members of a family can
make their own individual choices but they get a chance to exchange their
experiences later on.
Our centres
offer first-class accommodation, food and facilities - and the staff are
first-class too. Qualified teachers or professionals receive training from us
and many work with us year after year. We always employ qualified staff for
activities such as swimming, trampolining and gymnastics but some of the
assistants organising the children's games are students, many of whom came to
the camp themselves when they were younger.
At most of
our centres, accommodation is in a hostel or tents. It is not possible for us
to arrange other accommodation but we can send you a list of what is available
in the area. Most of the places are recommended to us, but not all, so we are
not responsible for the quality of the accommodation on this list. Luxury
accommodation is not available near our camps.
To book a
place at a sports camp, complete the form and send it with a cheque for the
deposit to the address below. The rest of the fee can be paid at any time but
we must receive it at least one month before your camp. Please note, to keep
costs down, you are charged 2.5% extra by us if you pay with your credit card.
You will receive a letter of confirmation within ten days of sending your form.
Cancellations made up to a month before the camp are refunded in full apart
from a 5% administration fee. Fifty per cent of the fee is refunded if a
cancellation is made up to two weeks before the date of the camp. After that no
refunds can be given.
Part 3. Use of English
1.I... glasses since I was a child,
a) wear, b) wore, c) am wearing, d) have been wearing.
2. When the phone rang, I... dinner.
a) cook, b) was cooking, c) had been cooking, d) have been cooking.
3. He usually had dinner at 4 p.m., ... ?
a) had he, b) hadn't he, c) did he, d) didn't he.
4. He works ... and makes good progress.
a) hard, b) hardly, c) good, d) badly.
5. He reminds me ... someone I knew in the army.
a) of, b) to, c) from, d) about.
6. Mary is here. Where are ... ?
a) other, b) others, c) the others, d) another.
7. What ... bad weather we are having today!
a) the, b) a, c) an, d) — .
8. Did you read ... English books at school?
a) some, b) many, c) much, d) none.
9. I want to know what ...,
a) are you doing, b) were you doing, c) will you do, d) you are doing.
10. I've made ... mistakes now than I made last time.
a) few, b) a few, c) fewer, d) less.
11. Can ... of you help me?
a) some, b) any, c) somebody, d) anybody.
12. This translation is twice as ....
a) easy, b) easier, c) the easiest, d) much easier.
13. We ... two compositions this month.
a) write, b) wrote, c) were writing, d) have written.
14. I had a feeling that somebody ... there before.
a) is, b) was, c) has been, d) had been.
15. She won't see him ... he phones her.
a) except, b) after, c) unless, d) because.
16. ... only one theatre and two cinemas in this city ten years ago.
a) there is, b) there was, c) there are, d) there were.
17. My watch....
a) stops, b) has stopped, c) have stopped, d) stop.
18. Do you know when he ... ?
a) comes, b) will come, c) shall come, d) come.
19. I don't have any pets. Neither ....
a) she does, b) does she, c) is she, d) does she have.
20. His parents didn't let him ... TV late.
a) to watch, b) watch, c) watching, d) watched.
Part 4. Use of English
For questions 1-15, read the text
below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct, and some
have a word which should not be there.
If a line is correct
put a tick (Ú) by the number. If
a line has a word which should not be there, write the word next to the number.
There are two examples at the beginning (0 and 00).
Big Ben
0 Big Ben is in fact the bell which it tolls on
the hour in the it
00 clock tower of the
Houses of Parliament and not, as is V
1
commonly supposed, the tower and clock by itself. It is
2
thought about to have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall.
3
The bell was been competed on April 10th, 1858.
4
With a weight of more than over 13 tons, it was the heaviest
5
bell in Britain at that time. It began to striking the time
6
in July, 1859, but cracked later that year and was
7
consequently silent for the next three years. The crack is
8
plainly being visible even today. An electric motor is
9
now used to wind the clock mechanism, and checks with
10
Greenwich Observatory they have rarely shown an error
11
of more than one second. On some occasions the clock has
12
stopped accidentally, but almost seldom due to mechanical
13
problems. Radio made Big Ben as a symbol, and on New
14
Year's Eve in 1923 Big Ben has made its first broadcast.
15
It has been heard of nightly ever since.
Part 5. Use of English
Read the text below. Complete the spaces (1-6)
with the correct form of the words in capitals. There is an example (0) at the
beginning.
Tourism in Britain
Every
year MORE than eleven million tourists visit
Britain.
|
MANY
|
In fact tourism is an _________1_________
industry, employing thousands of people.
|
IMPORTANCE
|
Most _________2_________ come in the summer months when
they can expect good weather.
|
VISIT
|
Tourists ________3__________ spend a few days in London,
then go on to other well-known cities.
|
USUAL |
Perhaps
the least visited places in England are old __________4________
towns.
|
INDUSTRY |
But many
people think that nineteenth-century cities show the __________5________
of Britain.
|
REAL |
The __________6________ of the past is to be still
seen in their old streets.
|
GREAT
|
Part 6. Writing
Describe your ideal planet you would
like to live on.
You should
write about 100 - 120 words