Cat CDZ

Match the pictures with the correct words.

Read the texts and match the titles to the descriptions of the famous buildings. One title is extra.

Listen and decide if the statements are true, false or not stated.

Read the text about pavement art. Decide if the statements are true, false or not stated.

Read the texts and decide if the statements are True, False or Nor Stated In the UK, only around 43% of 18- to 24-year-olds vote in general elections. Are you interested in politics, or do you change the TV channel when politicians appear on the screen? Leaders and parties The Prime Minister is the head of government in Britain and the queen (or king) is the head of state. British people vote in elections for Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent them. There are lots of political parties in the UK but the big three are the Labour Party (the main left-wing party), the Liberal Democrats (the main centre party) and the Conservatives (the main right-wing party). There are also parties representing different parts of the UK, such as the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru in Wales. Voting The UK voting system operates on a majority vote system. The political party that wins the most votes wins the election. For a political party in the UK to form a government, they need an overall majority. This means that the ruling party needs to have more Members of Parliament than all the other parties put together. If the winning party does not have an overall majority then there is a hung parliament. Coalition government What often happens in the case of a hung parliament is that one large party will join up with a smaller party to form a coalition. By doing this, they exclude the main opposition and still have power – although it is now shared between the two coalition parties. Young people and politics All British citizens over the age of 18 can vote in general elections. Some people think that young people in Britain are apathetic and don't care about politics. About 43% of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 2015 general election. The overall turnout is usually around 65% of the population. This is what some young people said about British politics. ‘I can’t relate to any of the politicians. They all seem fairly similar and rarely listen to young people. If politicians really listened to the voters, I think more young people would vote.’ Fiona, 20, from London ‘I didn’t vote in the last election but I do care about my country. Thousands of people protested on the streets against the government's plans to cut financial help with university fees earlier this year. Only rich people will be able to go to university if we have to pay thousands of pounds to study! I was at the protest and so were most of my friends at uni. I’ll vote in the next election if things don’t change.’ Sean, 19, from Leeds ‘Politicians need to start listening to us. We would get engaged in mainstream politics if we felt that our opinions were respected.’ William, 24, from Sheffield ‘Of course I voted in the last election. Everyone should vote! Young people need to start voting in general elections. If we don't vote, we won't change anything.’ Pippa, 23, from Fleet General elections are held approximately every five years. Will more young people decide to vote in the next election? We'll have to wait and see.

Read the texts and decide if the statements are True, False or Nor Stated. What is the Constitution Day? The Constitution is the main law of the state; it determines the sense and the contents of other laws. Constitution Day is a public holiday in Russia. It is a celebration of the adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation by referendum on December 12, 1993. The text of the Constitution of the Russian Federation was published in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta on December 25, 1993. Russia’s Constitution Day Traditions, Customs and Activities Even though most Russians don’t give much importance to the date, Constitution Day is celebrated with speeches from the Kremlin Palace by the President, official ceremonies countrywide, and a fireworks display in St. Petersburg. It is also a day that many organizations take the opportunity to hold rallies for the independence of previous Soviet republics from the Russian Federation and to lead protest against the government. History of Constitution Day in Russia Russians approved by referendum the new Constitution of the Russian Federation on December 12, 1993. The first ever Russian constitution was adopted in 1918 after the Monarchy was overthrown by the new Soviet regime, forming the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. A second constitution was adopted in 1924 for the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR. In 1936, a new constitution was put in place by Joseph Stalin to establish priority of federal legislation over republican. Later in 1977, Brezhnev adopted another constitution that would give him more power as the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Finally, by 1993, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, President Boris Yeltsin called to work the Constitutional Conference to create a new constitution. The referendum was held on December 12, 1993, simultaneous with the election of the government. Some More Facts about the Constitution At the beginning Constitution Day was a day off, but it was made a working day in 2004.  “The Copy No. 1” of the Russian Constitution is kept in the Presidential Library in the Kremlin.  Some amendments have been introduced since the adoption of the Constitution. The latest ones (2008) are the amendments stating that the President is elected every six years and the Duma is elected every five years.

Read the text about Oxford University and decide if statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT STATED. Oxford University is located in the city of Oxford, and is one of Britain's oldest universities. Studying at this educational institution is very expensive and amounts to around 25,000 euros. This university holds the first and leading positions in the ranking among the prestigious and sought-after universities in the world. The history of Oxford University dates back to 1096, but the exact date of its foundation is unknown. During the reign of Henry 2 Plantagenet, a large number of English students were expelled from France and settled in Oxford, where they were able to continue their studies. Oxford University has always carried a religious connotation, and accepted students from all over the world of various religions and faiths. The university currently consists of 38 colleges and 6 dormitories. In each college, classes, lectures, practical hours, and seminars are held individually, but among themselves they have a centralized system. Currently, over 25,000 students are studying at Oxford, and half of them are foreigners. The main condition for foreign students is a good knowledge of English. To this end, annual summer language schools are opened to help such students. In the 1920s, women began to enter Oxford and mixed groups began to form. But, in 1970, the university leadership decided that education between boys and girls should be carried out separately. At the University of Oxford, 4,000 teachers teach pain and 80 of them belong to the Royal Society, more than 100 people are members of the British Academy. A specific specialist individually works on each student, depending on the chosen specialty. Oxford University has nearly two hundred libraries, museums, and its own publishing house. The libraries store numerous ancient manuscripts and ancient buildings. Free from studies, students are invited to more than 400 hobby groups. Oxford University teaches in the following areas: physics, medicine, humanities, sociology, exact sciences, law, linguistics, environmental sciences.

Listen to a reporter who has just revisited Moscow after 15 years and decide if the statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT STATED.

Read the text about youth organizations and decide if the statements are TRUE, FALSE or Not Stated.

Сomplete the sentences with the given words.

Read the texts and decide if the statements are True, False or Nor Stated. In the UK, only around 43% of 18- to 24-year-olds vote in general elections. Are you interested in politics, or do you change the TV channel when politicians appear on the screen? Leaders and parties The Prime Minister is the head of government in Britain and the queen (or king) is the head of state. British people vote in elections for Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent them. There are lots of political parties in the UK but the big three are the Labour Party (the main left-wing party), the Liberal Democrats (the main centre party) and the Conservatives (the main right-wing party). There are also parties representing different parts of the UK, such as the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru in Wales. Voting The UK voting system operates on a majority vote system. The political party that wins the most votes wins the election. For a political party in the UK to form a government, they need an overall majority. This means that the ruling party needs to have more Members of Parliament than all the other parties put together. If the winning party does not have an overall majority then there is a hung parliament. Coalition government What often happens in the case of a hung parliament is that one large party will join up with a smaller party to form a coalition. By doing this, they exclude the main opposition and still have power – although it is now shared between the two coalition parties. Young people and politics All British citizens over the age of 18 can vote in general elections. Some people think that young people in Britain are apathetic and don't care about politics. About 43% of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 2015 general election. The overall turnout is usually around 65% of the population. This is what some young people said about British politics. ‘I can’t relate to any of the politicians. They all seem fairly similar and rarely listen to young people. If politicians really listened to the voters, I think more young people would vote.’ Fiona, 20, from London ‘I didn’t vote in the last election but I do care about my country. Thousands of people protested on the streets against the government's plans to cut financial help with university fees earlier this year. Only rich people will be able to go to university if we have to pay thousands of pounds to study! I was at the protest and so were most of my friends at uni. I’ll vote in the next election if things don’t change.’ Sean, 19, from Leeds ‘Politicians need to start listening to us. We would get engaged in mainstream politics if we felt that our opinions were respected.’ William, 24, from Sheffield ‘Of course, I voted in the last election. Everyone should vote! Young people need to start voting in general elections. If we don't vote, we won't change anything.’ Pippa, 23, from Fleet General elections are held approximately every five years. Will more young people decide to vote in the next election? We'll have to wait and see.

Match some of these words with the definitions. There are four extra words.

Complete the sentences with the words from the list.

Read the texts and match the headings to the paragraphs.

Match the headings and the texts. There is one extra heading.

Match the sentences and the words.

Read the text and fill in the gaps with the right phrases. There is ONE EXTRA phrase you don’t need to use.

Read the dialogue and fill in the gaps with the right phrases. There are TWO EXTRA phrases you don’t need to use.

Read the text and fill in the gaps with the right phrases. There is ONE EXTRA phrase you don’t need to use.

Read the text and fill in the gaps with the right phrase. There is ONE EXTRA phrase you don’t need to use.

Complete the sentence with the correct word from the list.

Complete the sentence with the correct word from the list.

Complete the sentence with the correct word from the list.

Complete the sentence with the correct word from the list.

Read the text and and decide if following statements are "True", "False" or "Not Stated". The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for education, entertainment, and communication. They also influence the way we see the world. They can change our views. Of course, not all newspapers, TV programmes, news presenters, radio commentators, or entertainers report events objectively all the time. In other words, they can be clearly biased sometimes. However, there are many serious journalists and TV reporters who try to be as fair and professional as possible. They try to provide us with reliable information. Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on people’s lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which can be untrue or half-true. You have probably heard of the “paparazzi”; they are independent photographers who take pictures of athletes, entertainers, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while going about their life routines. One main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes, and that’s a paramount advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it is much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the front pages of newspapers. Still, others prefer the radio. It is good to listen to the radio while in the car, or in the open air, or while you are doing something around the house. Newspapers don’t react to events as quickly as TV does, but they usually provide us with extra details, comments, and background information. The internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things take place in real life, and you don’t have to wait for news time on TV.

Match the headings to the paragraphs.

Read the text and decide if the statements are true, false, or not stated.

Finish the statement. The Tate Modern Museum of Modern Art was opened in

Match the questions with the artists.

Decide if the statements are true, false or not stated.

Finish the statement. Antony Gormley created

Finish the statement. Antony Gormley's 2009 project was held in

Finish the statement. Stuart Semple sent into the sky hundreds of

Finish the statement. Stuart Semple wanted to make a statement about

Finish the statement. Jeppe Hein was invited to create an outdoor sculpture at

Finish the statement. Jeppe Hein's labyrinth is made of

Finish the statement. Jeppe Hein wanted people in his labyrinth

Read the text again and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. A horror novel is a fantasy world of ghosts and monsters. The stories aren’t real, of course—or are they? Callum Calder writes ghost stories, and his books sell thousands of copies. But Callum is also a ghost hunter, and he bases all of his bestsellers on real experiences of real haunted houses. So what’s it like to be a ghost hunter and writer? Callum believes that writing is just like any other job, so he likes to be very organized. After breakfast, he goes up to the attic, where he has a tiny office. Here, he creates his terrifying tales. Usually he writes for four hours, grabs a sandwich and then returns for another four hours. "I always stop at five o’clock". "Eight hours of writing is enough for one day", he says. That’s what he does from Monday to Friday, but it’s what he does on weekends that is the most interesting. "The weekends are for investigating ghosts. I spend nights at haunted houses all over the country. I take cameras and tape recorders, as well as lots of other equipment. Sometimes a recording shows something that we miss. I get ideas from talking to witnesses. They give me the history behind the ghosts. I’m quite creative, so it quickly turns into another book idea". But do ghosts really exist? Callum is sure that they do. "Every time I step inside a haunted house, I get the feeling that there’s something there. The ghosts aren’t trying to hurt us. They’re just trying to communicate. "What are they trying to tell us, though?", Callum says, "When I find out, that book will be my best ever!"

Read the text and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. Extreme activities If you want to try this new craze, you'll have to travel to Nicaragua's Cerro Negro volcano. When this active volcano erupts, it throws out ash that's perfect for surfing on. Hike for 45 minutes to the top of the mountain, walk around inside the smoking volcano, then put on some protective clothing and fly down the slope at 50 km per hour! If you sit down on your board, you'll go even faster. Imagine speeding down an icy track at 60 km per hour in a Chinese frying pan. Wok racing started as a joke on German TV, but it soon became very popular and now there is a world championship every year. For protection, competitors wear a special suit and helmet, and they also put ladles on their feet! So how do you win? Well, here's a hot tip - if you warm the bottom of your wok before competing, it melts the ice and you go faster. You can sit in it, but you won't get any rest in this inflatable armchair. A river bug speeds you along a river and down rapids. If you want to control it well, you'll need webbed gloves and short flippers. Go backwards to go faster. The only problem is that you can't see what is coming if you go backwards. Watch out for that rock!

Read the text and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. Mental health If your arm or leg hurts, you see a doctor. Simple. But if your mind is where the pain is, what do you do? People rarely talk about mental health problems because there is still a lot of stigma around it. However, mental health problems are actually very common, affecting about 13 per cent of people aged between 10 and 19 around the world. In a class of 30 students, that's about four people. School life isn't always easy. Exams are stressful, lessons can be hard and it's also hard to make good friends sometimes. Schools can help, though — for example, by giving you extra help with your learning or by planning social activities where students can meet others and make new friends. If you don't feel good at school, talk to a teacher you trust. Most people know that exercise is good for your body, but did you know it's good for your mental health too? Regular exercise can help reduce anxiety and depression. Why not exercise by going for a walk in the park or countryside? Spending time in nature also makes people relaxed and reduces stress. Your diet can also change how you feel. If you eat a lot of crisps, cake, chocolate, etc., your blood sugar will rise and fall, which could make you feel angry or tired. You should eat enough vegetables and fruit, or you may miss nutrients that your body and brain need to make you feel well. Drink enough water too — otherwise, it's difficult to think clearly. Social media can be interesting and inspiring, but also annoying and stressful. Remember that people's messages and photos are only the things that they want to show you — they don't show you their bad days or worries. Always stay away from anything stressful or unpleasant, and check how long you spend online and keep it under control so that you enjoy your offline time too!

Read the text and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. Get a good sleep! Until quite recently, scientists believed that sleep was a simple, resting state, but it isn’t like this at all! When we sleep, our body temperature drops, our heart rate and other bodily functions slow down, but our brains stay very active. There are four different stages of sleep that repeat every 90 to 110 minutes. Stages N1 and N2 are light sleep and we can easily wake up. In stage N3, we sleep more deeply, and it’s harder to wake up. Some people may also sleepwalk or talk in their sleep. The last stage is REM sleep. Our eyes move around, our brain is very active, and we have a lot of dreams. While we sleep, our brain sorts through information, replaces chemicals, repairs cells, and solves problems. Lack of sleep seriously affects our mind and body. When we don’t rest enough, we may feel grumpy, forgetful and unable to concentrate. Lack of sleep can also affect our immune system. Over a long time, it may cause depression and personality changes and eventually even shorten our life. It’s different for everyone, but on average, babies need 16 to 18 hours of sleep, teenagers about 9 and adults about 7 to 8.

Read the text and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. It always gets on my nerves when people talk in the cinema, but you won’t believe what has happened to me tonight! I went out to the cinema with my friends to see a film I’ve wanted to see for ages. From the moment we sat down, a group of teenagers behind us didn’t stop talking and laughing, and even chatting on their mobile phones. Anyway, eventually I lost my temper. I turned around and shouted at them. Almost immediately, an usher appeared and angrily told me to leave. My friends were laughing their heads off afterwards, but I’m still furious. It wasn’t my fault! So anyway, here I am back at home, letting off steam on my blog! So, what about you? Have you suffered from people’s bad habits recently? Tell me all about it and cheer me up! (Liam) It’s really annoying. What gets on my nerves is bad table manners. I’ve got a really funny story about this. A few months ago, I went to a restaurant with my family. While we were trying to decide what to order, we heard some strange noises coming from the table behind us. It was a man slurping his soup really loudly. When he finished, he started complaining to the waiter that his steak was tough and the potatoes were overcooked. We felt really sorry for the waiter. The final straw was when he sneezed loudly without covering his mouth, and a piece of bread flew out of his mouth and onto our table. I’ve never seen anything like it. Anyway, about a week later, my dad read an article in the food section of a newspaper about difficult customers and the way restaurants deal with them. At the top of the page, there was a picture of the writer and … you guessed it. It was the man in the restaurant with the bad manners! He was a restaurant critic. (Suzy)

Complete the sentences with the missing words. There is one extra word in the text.

Read the text and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. Why I decided to spend a year studying abroad Well, generally I thought it would be an adventure and a great learning opportunity to live in a totally different culture. I chose Mexico because I have been learning Spanish now for three years and I wanted to improve my language skills. The best part of my experience It’s very difficult to choose just a few, but one of the best things has definitely been the experience of living with a host family. Mexicans are very warm, outgoing people and my hosts have been treating me like part of their family. During my first week, they invited their whole family for dinner to meet me, and it was fun but quite overwhelming trying to answer all their questions in Spanish. I’ve also been learning to slow down and relax and take an afternoon siesta after a big lunch, like the rest of the family! It’s been fantastic living in one of Mexico’s oldest cities, too, with its beautiful 16th century architecture. It’s a great feeling when you start to feel like you belong in a foreign place. Little things like knowing the answer when strangers ask you directions or getting around without getting lost are so rewarding. Challenging parts of staying abroad Well, I’ve been struggling a bit to get used to the hot weather, but now I wear a hat. It was also difficult to get used to the spicy food, but now I’m really enjoying it. I still have difficulty understanding social etiquette. Last week, for example, a new Mexican friend invited me for dinner and I turned up exactly on time. My host seemed a bit surprised. I found out later that Mexicans usually turn up for an appointment at least half an hour later. Without a doubt, this has been the best experience of my life so far. I’ve become more self-confident, patient and outgoing, and my Spanish has improved even more than I expected. Steven Marshall

Read the text and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. Agatha Christie was a famous English crime writer who is best known for her detective stories featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. Agatha was born in 1890 in the seaside town of Torquay in Devon, England, to an American father and an English mother. Her family was well-to-do and conservative, and she was the youngest of three children. Although Agatha never attended school, she didn’t lack education. She taught herself how to read when she was only four and later her parents hired tutors to provide lessons in subjects such as music, dance, mathematics, and French. Agatha was a shy child and, having problems expressing herself verbally, she first turned to music and later to writing and became very good at making up stories. When she was eleven, her father died, and she became very close to her mother, with whom she started to travel a lot. During the First World War, Agatha worked as a nurse in a hospital, and it was during this time that Agatha Christie got the idea of writing a detective novel. Although she finished the story in a year, it wasn’t published until five years later. The Mysterious Affair at Styles introduced the retired Belgian police officer, Hercule Poirot, to the world and was a great success. Following this, Agatha would write more than 30 novels featuring Poirot. In all she wrote over 66 novels, the most famous being Murder on the Orient Express, and according to the Guinness Book of records, Agatha Christie is the best-selling writer of her time with over four billion books sold throughout the world. In 1971, she was awarded the high honour of Dame of the British Empire before passing away peacefully on 21st January 1976.

Read the text and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. Fingerprinting has been around since 1892. Since then, we have been using it to identify criminals and unknown victims. Today, a popular application of fingerprinting technology is in car theft prevention.When a fingerprinting identification device is installed in a new car, only those people whose fingerprints are entered in the system can start the vehicle. Seeing as no two fingerprints are alike, it is the most secure key in order to protect our vehicles from theft.When Rick Evans learned about this technology, he was thrilled. «You don’t have to worry about losing your keys or someone else taking them. All you need is your fingerprint.» However, others like Mr Jersey Kenning disapprove of this. They have certain identity theft concerns. «We leave over 25 almost perfect fingerprints lying around per day, what’s to prevent someone from stealing one!». Others raise the question, «What were to happen if you burnt your fingers?» Yet, despite these concerns, fingerprinting technology is becoming more and more popular.

Read the text again and decide if the statements are True, False or Not Stated. Modern marvels or new nasties? With new gaming consoles, you have to move around in front of the TV to control the action on-screen. When you make the same motion again and again in a confined space, the results can be quite serious. Repeated arm motions can cause strain to your shoulder. Doctors warn that you must not play for too long, and you should warm up first. Their advice is to prepare for the game like you would for the real thing. Earphones play the music directly into your ear canal. The type of music doesn't matter, but the volume on your MP3 player does. It can cause hearing loss. Researchers recommend that you set the volume at a low level where you can still hear conversations around you. If people have to shout so you can hear them, the volume is too loud. Sending text messages is as easy as moving your thumb. However, too much texting can cause thumb arthritis. This can lead to restriction of movement, swelling, and pain. To prevent this condition, known as texter's thumb, you should send fewer messages or use different fingers when you text. A mobile phone is full of bacteria. When you press it against your face and ear, it can lead to skin problems such as acne, skin infections and rashes. Sharing your mobile phone makes these problems even worse. Dermatologists say that you should clean your phone before you use it. If someone borrows your phone, make sure to clean it after they finish. Computers are useful tools for research and entertainment. However, staring at a computer screen for an extended period of time can cause eye strain. Some of the symptoms include blurred vision, dry eyes and a difficulty distinguishing between colours. Opticians warn that you shouldn't spend too much time looking at the screen. Take frequent breaks. You don't have to leave the room - just close your eyes and let them relax.

Match the words to the definitions. One word is extra.