Listening for the Main Idea (B1)
Text 1
(Приложение: Text 1; Task)
1. Listen to the texts without reading the statements. What are they about?
2. Read the statements and find the key words in them. Find out how the statements are different.
3. Write down the synonyms to the key words.
- looks nice;
- do at school;
- useless and dull;
- do on the way to school;
- comes unprepared;
- can’t think about anything else;
- thanks to his/her friend.
4. Try to match the key phrases to the contents of the texts you have already listened to.
5. Listen to the texts once more and check your guesses.
Text 2
(Приложение: Text 2; Task)
1. Answer the questions:
– Do you have to wear uniforms to school?
– What clothes are you allowed to wear to school?
– What are your school colours?
– What is your attitude to school clothes?
– What do you think school clothes should be like?
2. Read the given statements and find the key words/phrases in them.
3. Match the key words/phrases to the expressions connected with them which you might hear in the texts.
| To be proud of To discipline Rules To wear jeans and T-shirts to school To feel uncomfortable Only primary school students should wear uniforms To look bad |
To wear casual clothes To be old enough Not to suit young people To feel terrible Horrible colours To concentrate on the work To behave properly Limitations For the good of students |
4. Listen to the texts and do the tasks.
Listening for Specific Information (A1-A7)
Text 3
(Приложение: Text 3;Task)
1. Divide the expressions given below into five groups according to their general meaning:
| a) twice a month;
b) enjoy; c) for a very long period of time; d) would like to; e) hate; f) very long; g) prefer; |
h) desire;
i) like doing; j) can’t stand; k) continuously; l) don’t like; m) once a week; n) without pauses; |
o) spend a lot of free time doing;
p) want; q) very often; r) wish; s) dislike; t) at weekends |
2. Find two groups of expressions, which have opposite meanings.
3. Read the statements A1-A7 and predict what sort of information you will possibly hear in the text.
4. Match if possible the groups of the expressions with the statements A1-A7.
5. Read the statement A6 and predict if Ann has her own horse or not.
6. Listen to the text and do the task.
Text 4
(Приложение: Text 4; Task)
1. Read the given statements and find the key words/phrases in them.
2. Replace the following expression with one verb:
– To say if something is better or not than the other.
3. Replace the verb ‘to compare’ with a synonymous ‘verb + noun’ expression.
4. Give synonyms to the verb ‘prefer’.
5. What holiday activities in a foreign country can you suggest?
6. What does ‘no fixed price’ mean?
7. What are modern conveniences?
Listening for Detail (A8- A14)
Text 5
(Приложение: Text 5; Task)
1. Read the task and guess how many people you will hear.
2. Express the same ideas in other words:
- To keep silent about;
- A former country;
- To keep one’s thoughts to oneself;
- Ancestors;
- To think fondly of the time;
- To expect.
3. Give the antonym to the word ‘permanent’.
4. Look through the options for tasks A12-A14, compare them and find the difference underlining the key words.
5. Make a note of some words or phrases you might expect to hear for the following options:
- To be mature;
- To be dissatisfied with one’s life;
- To be more fun;
- To be longer;
- To be more frightening.
6. Match an expression in A with its synonym in B.
| A | B |
| out of line with what somebody thinks | to fail to consider and forget to take |
| to leave out and leave behind | to be in regular communication with |
| That was the last thing I wanted | in disagreement with somebody |
| to keep in touch with somebody | I didn’t want to do this thing.
|
7. Listen to the text for the first time and try to finish the statements A8-A14 without paying attention to the given options. Then match your answer to the appropriate option.
8. Listen to the text for the second time and check your answers.
Text 6
(Приложение: Text 6;Task)
1. Match the words with their transcription and definition.
| artist | [peintә] | Professional singer, actor, dancer, etc. |
| artiste | ['a:tist] | Person who paints pictures |
| painter | [a:'ti:st] | Person who practises one of the fine arts, especially painting |
2. Complete the table.
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
| commercial | ||
| least | ||
| happier | ||
| most progressive | ||
| ambitious |
3. Read and translate into Russian:
Quiet, quit, quite.
4. Give synonyms for the following expressions:
a) I could hardly afford buying it.
b) It is hardly possible.
5. For each option:
a) acting;
b) painting;
c) film making
make a note of words or phrases you might expect to hear.
6. Read the task before listening.
7. Listen to the text and do the task.
Texts and tasks for listening are taken from the book ‘Единый государственный экзамен 2008. Английский язык. Учебно-тренировочные материалы для подготовки учащихся. «Интеллект-Центр 2007»’