GRADE 11

Listening Comprehension

 Sports and the English

For two weeks around the end of June, England becomes tennis-mad! This is the time of the Wimbledon Championships, the most famous tennis tournament in the world. Few people watch tennis on TV for the rest of the year, but during Wimbledon, matches are shown on TV every afternoon and evening.

England's most famous tennis player was Fred Perry, who won the Wimbledon Championship every year for three years, from 1934 to 1936. Since that time, no English player has won the Men’s Championship.

Horse-racing is another very popular sport in England. There are races every day of the year, and people enjoy making bets on which horse will win. The Derby at Epsom, which continues to be held today, was the first derby ever, and derbies - races on flat ground for three-year-old horses -are now held around the world. Other important dates in horse-racing are the Grand National in Liverpool in April - one of the most difficult horse races in the world - and Royal Ascot, five days of horse racing in Berkshire in June. The Queen always goes to Ascot, so it is an important event in England, and visitors wear their best clothes and hats.

Another important day for sport in England is the London Marathon in April. More than thirty thousand people run in the London Marathon, which has been held since 1981. The fastest people finish the forty-two-kilometre run in just over two hours, but for many runners the most important thing is making money for charity.

Watersports are popular in England, and many people, especially on the south coast, enjoy sailing. There are good waves for surfing at many of the beaches in the south-west, and canoeing is also popular on England's many rivers and canals. Two of England's most famous sportspeople do a watersport - Steve Redgrave, who won gold medals for rowing at every Olympic Games between 1984 and 2000, and Ellen MacArthur, who broke the world record for sailing around the world alone in the fastest time on 7th February 2005.

Golf is also a very popular sport for English people. There are many golf courses in England, and every July the Open Championship, one of the four biggest tournaments in the world, is held in England or Scotland.

Motor-racing is also well-liked, and many people go to a course called Silverstone in Northamptonshire every year to watch the British Grand Prix.

At school, children play football, rugby, netball and cricket, and do athletics in the summer. There are public swimming pools and gyms in most towns, and many people also enjoy cycling and walking. Other outdoor activities like mountaineering - climbing and walking in the hills and mountains – are also very popular in England.

 English people love sport. For some time, they have not won many big events in the sports that first came from their country many years before. But sport continues to be a very important part of life in England.        

GRADE 11

Listening comprehension test

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

1. People in England become quite angry during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
2. The most famous tennis competition in the world is held annually at the end of June.
3. Few people watch the Wimbledon matches on the television in the afternoon and evening.
4. Horse races are held 365 days a year in England.
5. The oldest derby race  takes place in Liverpool.
6. Queen Elizabeth II always attends the race in  Berkshire.
7. The first marathon in London was in 1981.
8. The winners of the London Marathon run forty-two kilometers in less than one hour.
9. Steve Redgrave sailed around the world alone in the shortest time.
10. The British Grand Prix race, held every year in Northamptonshire, is a horse race.

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

11. Since Fred Perry became the Men’s Wimbledon winner  from 1934 to 1936

1. no English man has won this Championship.
2. English people aren’t interested in watching the Wimbledon matches.
3. no Englishman has played in the Wimbledon Championship.

12.  Races held on flat ground for three year old horses

1. are held only at Epsom.
2. are called derbies.
3. are the most difficult races in the world.

13. Many people run the London marathon

1. to raise money for people who need help.
2. to wear their best clothes and hats.
3. to see the Queen.

14. A water sport  mentioned in the article is

a. canoeing.

b. speed-boating.

c. deep-sea diving.

15. The Open Championship, held every July in England or Scotland, is

1. a sailing competition.
2. a car racing competition.
3. a golf competition.

16. According to the text, the English are keen on these sports except

a. cycling.

b. snowboarding.

c. rugby.

3. Write a short answer (2 points each).

1. What are two watersports which people enjoy off the coast of England? __________________
2. British children play several sports at school; name two._______________________________
3. One popular outdoor activity is walking and climbing hills. This is also called________________________.
4. Which sport mentioned in this text would you like to try?_________________________

GRADE 11

Reading Comprehension, test 1

An Architectural Marvel

In the early 1400s the people of Florence, Italy, had an enormous problem on their hands. Their plan for enlarging and rebuilding their cathedral called for a magnificent dome 42 m in diameter. The project had begun more than a hundred years earlier, and now they didn't know how to finish it.

The Enormous Dilemma

The new cathedral was to be the largest in the world. It would establish the power and prestige of Florence over all the other cities in central Italy. It was a matter of great civic pride. But if they couldn't figure out how to build the dome, they would be the laughingstock of the neighboring cities.

The usual method of building a dome, according to techniques known at the time, was to build a supporting structure of wood, lay brick over it, and then remove the wooden structure. But for such a huge dome, there was no way to get timber long enough or strong enough to build the supporting structure.

A Creative Solution

In 1418 the cathedral officials offered a cash prize of 200 florins to anyone who could come up with a way to erect the dome. The prize went to Filippo Brunelleschi, a famous artist and goldsmith. Using models, Brunelleschi demonstrated how the dome could be built. He even included inventions for lifting construction materials into place.

Brunelleschi's design for the dome was a double shell, with ribs formed by Gothic arches. The double-shell construction made the dome relatively light and eliminated the need for a supporting structure.

In 1420 Brunelleschi's proposal was accepted and Brunelleschi was made chief architect for the project. The dome was completed in 1436, ensuring Florence its prestige and Brunelleschi his fame.

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

1. The city of Florence began building the largest cathedral in the world in the early 1300’s.
2. The new cathedral would be a symbol that Florence was the most powerful city of Italy.
3. The inhabitants of Florence were laughing because no one could find a way to build the dome of the cathedral.
4. Traditional domes were built using a temporary wooden frame which was taken away after the brick layer was in place.
5. No one in Florence was strong enough to build the dome in the traditional way.
6. The city officials offered a reward to the person who could climb up to the dome.
7. The winner, Filippo Brunelleschi, was already a well-known architect.
8. The winning design used Gothic arches to hold up the dome.
9. Brunelleschi also designed construction machines.
10. Brunelleschi’s dome had two light shells and didn’t need a wooden frame.

Reading Comprehension, test 2

Ancient Wisdom of the Samoan Healers

In Samoan culture, the healer is one of the most valued members of the community. After all, the healer possesses the knowledge to treat disease. In some cases, Samoan healers know about ancient treatments that Western medicine has yet to discover. Recently, some researchers have turned to Samoan healers to ask them about their medical secrets.

A Samoan Remedy

Paul Cox is an ethnobotanist. He travels to remote places to look for plants that can help cure diseases. He seeks the advice of shamans and other native healers in his search.

In 1984, Paul Cox made a trip to Samoa to observe healers. While there he met 78-year-old Epenesa, a well-known Samoan healer. She was able to identify over 200 medicinal plants and astounded Cox with her knowledge. Epenesa had an accurate understanding of human anatomy, and she dispensed prescriptions with great care and accuracy.

Blending Polynesian and Western Medicine

After Cox spent months observing Epenesa treat patients, she gave him her prescription for yellow fever – a tea made from the wood of a rainforest tree called Homalanthus nutans. Cox brought the yellow-fever remedy to the United States, and in 1986 the National Cancer Institute (NCI) began studying the plant. They found that the plant contains a virus-fighting chemical called prostratin. Further research by NCI indicates that it may have potential as a treatment for AIDS.

Another compound from Samoan healers treats inflammation. The healers apply the bark of a local tree, Erythrina variegata, to the inflamed skin. Only one of the two varieties of this tree is helpful, the healers said. When a team of scientists evaluated the bark, they found that the healers were absolutely correct. The active component from the bark, flavanone, is now under development as a medicine that Western doctors may prescribe some day.

These plant seeds from Samoa may one day be used in medicines to treat a variety of diseases.

Preserving Their Knowledge

When the two healers who provided Cox with information leading to the discovery of prostratin died in 1993, generations of medical knowledge died with them. The healers' deaths point out the urgency of recording their ancient wisdom before all of the healers are gone. Cox and other ethnobotanists must work hard to gather information from healers as quickly as they can.

The Feel of Natural Healing

Some of the world’s most useful drugs developed from plants used by native people include aspirin for reducing pain, codeine for suppressing coughs and quinine for combating malaria. Next time you have a mosquito bite or a mild sunburn, consider a treatment that comes from the experience of Native American healers. Aloe vera, another plant product, is found in a variety of lotions and ointments. Find out how well it works for you!

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

1. An ethnobotanist is

1. a doctor who uses plants as medicine.
2. a learned healer from another culture.
3. a traveling scientist who looks for plants with curative powers.

2. Epenesa is

1. the name of a medicinal plant.
2. a valued healer in a Samoan community.
3. a common Samoan disease.

3. Epenesa

1. tells patients to take as much medicine as they want.
2. uses Western drugs to help her local patients.
3. has an excellent knowledge of the human body.

4. A synonym for shaman is

1. healer.
2. Samoan.
3. medicine.

5. Cox returned to the United States with

1. botanical specimens.
2. Epenesa.
3. Samoan colleagues.

6. Epenesa shared the recipe for a natural medicine against yellow fever;  what medical problem do modern scientists hope this plant may be used to fight?

1. Skin inflammations
2. AIDS
3. Tropical diseases

2) Write a short answer (1 point each).

1. What happens when local healers die? ________________________________
2. How do ethnobotanists decide which plants may have medicinal uses?_______________________________
3. What are 2 modern plant-based medicines that were used by ancient cultures?_________________________

Reading Comprehension, test 3

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

England: Looking Forward

For a long time, we have known that there are big __________(1) problems in the world. Factories, cars, and burning coal, oil or gas for fuel all make our air ______(2), giving us ________(3) warming. So now we need to find ways to help the environment.

Many English homes and companies ________(4) their electricity from solar (sun) or wind power, and the government is giving money to people who use these ________(5) energies - ones that can be used again and again. In the future, we will probably use less and less coal, oil and gas. Many English people have been recycling more and more of their rubbish, and _________(6)  2011, they were recycling forty per cent of their rubbish. ___________(7), many people also believe that we will use electric cars more and other energy-saving technologies.

The digital and environmental revolutions ___________(8) England. England in 2100 will be a very ___________(9) place to the England we now know. Will England have a king or queen? Will there continue to be big differences between rich and poor people? _________(10) different languages will people speak? And will England have won the Football World Cup again? We cannot know. But we can probably hope that people will continue to watch __________(11)   plays, climb the mountains of the Lake District and visit the sights of London. And perhaps they will still say that England is a wonderful, exciting place.

      GRADE 11

Writing Comprehension

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

1. If you could choose any period in history to live in, which era would you choose and why? What would be more difficult?  What could you do then that you cannot do now? Describe a day in your life in this period.

2. You and your friends want to make a positive impact on your community. You decide to do a local project together. Describe what your project will be, how you will accomplish this. Who could help you?  What will you need to put this project into action?