Task 1
Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it.
English Language Day was first celebrated in 2010, alongside Arabic Language Day, Chinese Language Day, French Language Day, Russian Language Day and Spanish Language Day. These are the six official languages of the United Nations, and each has a special day, designed to raise awareness of the history, culture and achievements of these languages.
This day was chosen because it is thought to be Shakespeare’s birthday and the anniversary of his death. As well as being the English language’s most famous playwright, Shakespeare also had a huge impact on modern-day English. At the time he was writing, in the 16th and 17th centuries, the English language was going through a lot of changes, and Shakespeare’s creativity with the language meant he contributed hundreds of new words and phrases that are still used today. For example, the words ‘gossip’, ‘fashionable’ and ‘lonely’ were all first used by Shakespeare.
Task 2
Study the advertisement.
If you’re looking for a part-time job,
you’ve come to the right place!
You are considering working as Santa Claus, a seasonal job during the holiday season and now you’d like to get more information. In 1.5 minutes you are to ask four direct questions to find out about the following:
- job responsibilities
- costume and props
- age requirements
- schedule
You have 20 seconds to ask each question.
Task 3
You are going to give an interview. You have to answer five questions. Give full answers to the questions (2–3 sentences). Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.
Tapescript for Task 3
Interviewer: Hello everybody! It’s Teenagers Round the World Channel. Our guest today is a teenager from Russia and we are going to discuss teenage interests. We’d like to know our guest’s point of view on this issue. Please answer five questions. So, let’s get started.
Interviewer: What are your interests? Do they centre more on relaxed activities such as social networking and video games?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: What topics interest Russian teenagers these days?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: What classic pastimes and hobbies do Russian teenagers have, if any?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: What modern-day activities are popular among teenagers in Russia?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Do you agree that teenage interests aren’t what they used to be? If so, what do you think might be the reasons for this shift in interests?
Student: _________________________
Interviewer: Thank you very much for your interview.
Task 4
Imagine that you and your friend are doing a school project “Exploring the world”. You have found some photos to illustrate it but for technical reasons you cannot send them now. Leave a voice message to your friend explaining your choice of the photos and sharing some ideas about the project. In 2.5 minutes be ready to:
- explain the choice of the illustrations for the project by briefly describing them and noting the differences;
- mention the advantages (1–2) of the two ways of exploring the world;
- mention the disadvantages (1–2) of the two ways of exploring the world;
- express your opinion on the subject of the project – which way of exploring the world presented in the pictures you’d prefer and why.
You will speak for not more than 3 minutes (12–15 sentences). You have to talk continuously.
