Аудирование в формате ЕГЭ – Вариант 3 – АНГЛИЙСКИЙ в полном порядке

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Presenter: Hi everyone and welcome to our programme, Youth Talk. Today our guest is careers advisor Martin Shaw, who’s going to discuss how he helps students find a career and a job. Thanks for joining us, Mr Shaw.

Speaker: I’m glad to be here. Please, call me Martin.

Presenter: Tell us what you do in your job, Martin.

Speaker: Well, I work for a university in their careers advice office. I meet with university students on a daily basis. Students make an appointment with me, which is free of charge and included in their student services package. I see about ten to twelve students a day, and we meet for around twenty minutes to half an hour.

Presenter: How do you help them find a career?

Speaker: For starters, I administer a questionnaire which determines their aptitudes. It asks them what skills they think they have, and it also asks them about their likes and dislikes, how well they get on with others, whether they like to work independently, and whether they’re self-motivated, highly organised, or very creative. They answer the questionnaire and I assess it at a later date.

Presenter: How do you assess the information they present to you?

Speaker: First I look at what subjects they’ve put down that seem to interest them the most. Keep in mind that sometimes they don’t know exactly what those are, so they might put down a wide range. Then, I take a look at their skills. If, for example, they’re interested in the arts, are highly creative and communicative, and like working with people, I might suggest a career in advertising.

Presenter: So you meet with students more than once, yes?

Speaker: Oh definitely. Firstly, I have to give them the results of their questionnaire, but really, I meet with them as often as they like. The goal is to get them on the right track. Sometimes a student comes back to me because they have second thoughts about their preferences, meaning they’ve realised they’d rather work alone than with other people, for example. That will obviously affect the advice I give them.

Presenter: I see. What other types of assistance do you give students?

Speaker: I help them with their CVs, to make sure they’re well-written and informative. I get them to bring a CV in at our first meeting, and I usually ask my assistant to look it over and make comments, which I review, Then I meet with the student again, usually when I give them their questionnaire results, and I give them some tips on how to improve their CV.

Presenter: Do you discuss interview techniques?

Speaker: I usually give them some information about the dos and don’ts of interviewing, and we discuss any questions they have. I’d like to do practice interviewing, but we simply don’t have the time or resources for that, which is a shame because students would find it very useful. I give them advice on how to answer tougher interview questions though, such as when an interviewer asks you what your weaknesses are.

Presenter: And what do you say to that?

Speaker: Well, obviously in an interview you should be truthful, but you would never want to say, “I hate getting up in the morning.” While that may be a true weakness, you can just imagine how that would go down in an interview! I urge students to think of a weakness that can actually be a strength. You could say that you tend to spend too much time on organising, so you have to stop for a moment and prioritise duties. This sounds impressive in an interview.

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Чтение в формате ЕГЭ – вариант 5 – АНГЛИЙСКИЙ в полном порядке

The job of a butler

The job of a 21st century butler was underappreciated in society, but in carrying out the role Mr Wainwright found a type of magnificence which contradicted that lack of respect. His ability to be a silent yet highly perceptive presence amongst the upper classes, whilst performing his duties immaculately, was his proof.

He understood why he might be looked down upon by others; servitude wasn’t equated with prestige, unlike other jobs such as surgeon or architect. And society’s general disdain for the very privileged meant those who served them were like slaves to the enemy. He could leave his job at any time, however, and his salary rivalled his prestigious counterparts in the outside world’.

What he wasn’t allowed to do was be less than perfect. A butler was the boss of all the other service staff and he hadn’t arrived at the position overnight. The others around him – the valet, the footman, the hall boy – could make small mistakes and seemingly get away with it, that is until the earl took notice and had a word with Mr Wainwright, which he would pass on to them. The admonishment was more like a slap on the wrist, thanks to his kindly nature, however.

The butler had to know what was going to happen before it happened. Anticipation was the top job skill – not something you’re taught at school. It was a life lesson, one most people rarely learn. Even at butler training, this skill would be one you would just have to ‘pick up’. They’d tell you that you need to do this, but it was up to the individual to work out how they’d achieve it. Sacrificing your own needs to attend to the needs of others was a large part of it.

Besides being well paid for his service, there were certain other rewards for being a butler. The workspace was an elegant turn-of-the-century mansion, which Mr Wainwright admired deeply but had grown so accustomed to he took for granted, aside from its upkeep. The endless array of dignitaries that passed through the halls meant experiencing – if only from the sidelines – a slice of society most people would never come across. The butler’s living quarters were well furnished, if meagre in space. But the butler – in fact, all the staff – dined much like the nobility. They partook of the same fine meals that went upstairs, even if they consumed them downstairs.

That was what Mr Wainwright savoured the most.

Every bit as delicate as the household procedures was Mr Wainwright’s relationship with the earl. Their exchanges were often friendly, but it was understood that they were not ‘friends’, nor could Mr Wainwright ever wish for that. The lady of the house was technically the person he reported to. Lady Channing was the one who’d elevated him to his exalted position, and who would defend him against any of the earl’s misgivings about his service, of which there were few.

Mr Wainwright had settled on a life of service, disregarding other opportunities, not only because of his rare ability to serve others while remaining largely unseen, but also because of his deep-seated need to be needed himself. Praise, however, was rare in Channing Manor – the perfunctory ‘Thank you, Wainwright’ was as commonplace as afternoon tea. The very promotion from footman to butler had only included the words ‘I’d like you to be our butler’ followed by ‘This is what you will do’. It was years later, when Lady Channing, in a moment of humility, said, ‘I don’t know what I would do without you,’ that Mr Wainwright was reminded of his wise choice.

1. What does Mr Wainwright consider to be magnificent?
1) His position.
2) His duties.
3) People’s opinions.
4) His abilities.

2. In what way is Mr Wainwright’s job like a surgeon’s?

1) It is well paid.
2) People appreciate both jobs.
3) The duties are similar.
4) People look down on both jobs.

3. The phrase ‘slap on the wrist’ in the third paragraph means …
1) a severe punishment.
2) a light warning.
3) tapping someone’s hand with wood.
4) light praise.

4. How does a butler learn how to foresee his boss’s needs?
1) Through training.
2) From higher staff.
3) From the boss himself.
4) Through personal devotion.

5. ‘That’ in ‘That was what Mr Wainwright savoured the most’ in the fifth paragraph refers to …
1) the surroundings he dined in.
2) the food he dined on.
3) the people he dined with.
4) the manner in which he dined.

6. What is true about Mr Wainwright’s relationships with the Channings?
1) The earl defended him from Lady Channing.
2) Lady Channing deeply respected him.
3) He wished he was closer to the earl.

4) He and the earl often had problems.

7. Mr Wainwright was satisfied with being a butler because …
1) the lady had said many kind things to him over the years.
2) he enjoyed serving others without wanting anything in return.
3) a few small things were said to him on a daily basis.
4) he realised he was a valued and necessary part of something.

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Чтение в формате ЕГЭ – вариант 1 – АНГЛИЙСКИЙ в полном порядке

Road trip

The second week of Sarah’s road trip proved to be problematic. Even though she had voiced concerns about her boyfriend’s ‘great idea’ of buying a used van to travel around in, she wasn’t about to say ‘I told you so’ when it broke down halfway across Kentucky.

She did, however, sigh when Josh asked if she would chip in for repairs. ‘I’m going to have to call my parents for this, you know,’ she said in a patient yet admonishing tone.

So the pair of them, accompanied by Sarah’s sister, Michelle, and a friend, Shane, were stranded for the next couple of days in Bardstown, population 11,700. They scrabbled to find something to do to entertain themselves while they waited for the engine part to arrive. They’d made sleeping arrangements at a quaint bed and breakfast near the historic district. It was either that or the row of bog standard, characterless motels out on the interstate highway that Sarah had convinced the others to avoid. ‘The mechanic said we should check out Bardstown. It might be pretty dull, but how bad can it be?’ she urged the group, not fully convinced they’d find something better. Michelle, who usually argued for the sake of it, was for once on board. The guys agreed.

Once the accommodation was taken care of, they set out for the bit of sightseeing that Bardstown had to offer. They perused the main road, with its dozen or so buildings that had survived from the town’s days as an early trading post. Each one had its own version of a knick-knack shop. They were charming, and contrary to Sarah’s gut feeling from before, there were much worse places to be stranded in.

They decided to enter one of the shops. Although more spacious than the others, it was still jam-packed with stuff. ‘Howdy, folks,’ the shop owner said as they entered, which was not so much ‘Welcome to Bardstown’ as ‘You break it, you buy it.’ Sarah suspected it was an age-appropriate comment, as they didn’t look like the most responsible bunch, despite the opposite being true in her case.

The shop was filled with the typical antique shop items: odd, mismatched china sets, silverware, wooden furniture, lampshades. The walls had dozens of old paintings only the painter could love and more stuffed birds than Sarah cared to see. The shop was void of people, eerily quiet, and even though she and Michelle found humour in the items, they kept their comments to themselves. The guys admired the old hunting rifles. ‘I hope there aren’t any bullets left in those,’ Michelle quipped, the words jarring the silence.

Less interested in gazing at objects, Sarah decided to strike up a conversation with the owner. ‘Have you lived here all your life?’ Sarah asked, imagining the answer to be ‘Yes.’

‘My parents were even born here. In fact, there might be more people in town I’m related to than not,’ the owner said, straight-faced. Sarah didn’t know what to make of that comment, but she politely laughed. ‘Where are you guys from?’ he asked. ‘Certainly not from around these parts.’

‘We’re from New Hampshire. On a road trip across America. We’re going to California,’ she said, wondering if she offered too much information, little as it was.

‘Oh, too many earthquakes out there for me,’ he said. ‘I’ll stay put.’

‘We were wondering where we should get something to eat. Any recommendations?’ she asked genuinely, but also because she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

‘Everything’s safe to eat around here, except the burger joint out on the highway, next to the mechanic. Worst place to eat around. Worst mechanic in town, too.’

1. How did Sarah feel about calling her parents for help?
1) Eager.
2) Put out.
3) Enraged.
4) Disinterested.

2. Regarding accommodation, Sarah was sure …
1) there was something better than on the highway.
2) that Bardstown would be entertaining.
3) the mechanic knew what he was talking about.
4) she didn’t want to stay on the highway.

3. What does the phrase ‘gut feeling’ in the fourth paragraph mean?
1) A moment of confusion.
3) A feeling of certainty.
2) Discomfort in the stomach.
4) An initial attitude or belief.

4. The shop owner greeted the group with …
1) a humorous tone.
2) genuine kindness.
3) suspicion.
4) a salesman-like attitude.

5. Sarah thought that the paintings in the shop were …
1) attractive.
2) all very similar.
3) all by the same artist.
4) ugly.

6. Sarah laughed at what the shop owner said because she …
1) found it to be funny.
2) felt a bit nervous.
3) assumed he was joking.
4) thought of something funny.

7. How was Sarah likely to feel at the end of the last paragraph?
1) Relieved.
2) Concerned.
3) Amused.
4) Confident.

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Чтение в формате ЕГЭ – вариант 2 – АНГЛИЙСКИЙ в полном порядке

Surviving an avalanche

Surviving an avalanche was not on Thomas’s list of things to do in life. A thrill-seeker of epic proportions, he had jumped from a helicopter to ski remote mountain slopes and traversed half of Antarctica on a cross-country skiing adventure. If only his wisdom of doing things in packs hadn’t failed him on the day of his accident.

He had ventured out alone before, and in any case, most of the ski ranges around his mountain home were littered with forest rangers whose job was to help stranded hikers. So a solo trip by an experienced skier wasn’t the most dangerous of adventures.

Every seasoned skier is aware of both the risks and the joys involved with skiing off-piste. It’s a different experience from the snow that’s been packed down into hard ice by the hundreds of other skiers who have already crossed over it. Movements occur almost in slow-motion as the skier glides in and out of the piles of powder. It’s an exhausting challenge that requires effort from the skier’s whole body, but a unique one that hooks a skier after just one run.

Thomas even had special equipment for this particular type of skiing. His well-worn pair of traditional skis wouldn’t be sufficient, so he’d expended an extra two hundred pounds on a wider set of blades especially made for skiing in powder.

And it wasn’t as if safety was the last thing on his mind. He’d brought his avalanche kit in case of emergencies. He wore an airbag that would help to keep him near the surface if he pulled the cord in time, and another device which would assist him with breathing under snow. The rescue service’s number was programmed into his mobile phone, and his avalanche transceiver – which emits an emergency signal – was equipped with fully-charged batteries.

Thomas’s run that day was in familiar territory. He had always skied with a trusted ski buddy, with never an incident to report. Perhaps he had been lulled into a false sense of security. In fact, he had intended to ski with a friend that morning. When his friend couldn’t make it, Thomas considered not going himself, but the snow on the mountain had fallen just the night before, and the lure was too intense.

His run was a wide, bare track of slope nestled between two pine forests – a real skier’s delight, and quite popular with the locals as well.

They say an avalanche is like a sleeping giant, waiting to be woken up by even the slightest of nudges. Thomas gave this giant more than a nudge – he skied right over it and before he knew it, he was skiing on top of it as it slid down the mountain along with him. And if you ski on top of the giant’s mouth, it’s likely to swallow you whole.

As Thomas sank beneath powder, through his acute panic he managed to pull the cord on his airbag. The roar of the giant fell silent seconds later, and from beneath the snow it was as if morning had turned to night. Thomas tried to reach his phone, but his arm might as well have been cast in concrete. Lying still, his panic slowly shifting to an eerie peacefulness, he did his best to keep his chin up. He even began to enjoy the dark solitude, even though he knew he might never be found. Luckily for him, the giant had caught the attention of others, and the transceiver was doing the job it was designed to do.

1. What are the ‘packs’ that the author refers to in the first paragraph?
1) Types of snow.
2) Regions or areas.
3) Groups of people.
4) Ski manoeuvres.

2. Why didn’t Thomas think his solo ski run would be very risky?
1) There were personnel to help in case of trouble.
2) He wasn’t aware of the potential dangers.
3) He had been on more dangerous ski adventures.
4) He believed powder to be easier to ski on than packed ice.

3. Skiers who ski on powder for the first time …
1) often never do it again.
2) find it to be relaxing.
3) fall in love with the experience.
4) often get stuck in the snow.

4. What is true about Thomas’s avalanche kit?
1) The airbag would help him breathe.
2) The airbag would inflate automatically.
3) He had an emergency number written down.
4) Some items required electric power to function.

5. Why did Thomas particularly want to ski that day?
1) It was pre-arranged with his friend.
2) He wanted to ski alone.
3) The area was beautiful.
4) The weather conditions were ideal.

6. An avalanche is compared to a sleeping giant because …
1) it’s not usually dangerous.
2) it can quickly spring into life.
3) it’s a huge spectacle.
4) it can easily kill people.

7. The expression ‘keep his chin up’ in the last paragraph means …
1) stay positive.
2) keep breathing.
3) raise his head.
4) avoid making movements.

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Аудирование в формате ЕГЭ – Вариант 1 – АНГЛИЙСКИЙ в полном порядке

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Presenter: Hi everyone and welcome to our programme, Awesome Job! Today we have John Stone with us to talk about his work in ecotourism. John, welcome to the show.

Speaker: Thanks for having me.

Presenter: Tell us some things about your job and what your company does.

Speaker: I work as a tour guide for a company called Go Green Tourism. We specialise in tours to unique habitats with rich biodiversity. We organise very small tours, for maybe 20 people or less, so that the environment remains protected, and our destinations are mainly tropical regions in South America and most recently South-East Asia. We travel to our destination and stay at a local village near the habitat, which is where we eat and sleep. Then we go on a guided walking tour of a rainforest and we educate our travelling companions about the different flora and fauna of the area.

Presenter: So you have to be well-trained in plant and animal sciences to give one of these tours, yes?

Speaker: That’s right. Typically the tour guides have a degree in biology or botany, or a master’s in forest conservation, something like that. My specific educational background is in zoo management, but I saw an advert for this job and decided I wanted to give it a try. I’ve learned a great deal more about the natural environment through this work, which I’m happy about.

Presenter: Is ecotourism safe for the environment, in your opinion?

Speaker: We do our very best to ensure that any place we visit is left virtually untouched. Our ecotravellers must attend a seminar before we embark on our journey in order to learn the dos and don’ts of the trip. People who sign up for these tours are quite conscious of the environment to begin with.

Presenter: Does your company participate in environment protection programmes?

Speaker: I’m glad you asked that, because yes, we do. Part of our profits go to awareness programmes aimed at educating people about the rainforests and their value as a resource. Most people don’t realise that without rainforests, we wouldn’t be able to survive.

Presenter: There is also the problem of rainforests being cut down, isn’t there?

Speaker: Yes, we also provide funds for organisations that fight illegal logging and land clearing in Brazil. These organisations work with the Brazilian government and although it’s a continuous battle, they have made progress in recent years in protecting land.

Presenter: That’s good to know. What sorts of things do people get to see in the rainforests, besides plants and animals of course?

Speaker: Oh, many things. We visit dazzling waterfalls, and pristine lakes and rivers. We also visit the native peoples who live in or near the rainforests – the ones who are welcoming to visitors anyway! So there is also a cultural exchange that takes place between the ecotravellers and the locals. I’ve even picked up a few words of the locals’ languages, which is really cool. Of course, I’m a long way off being fluent!

Presenter: And do you just visit rainforests?

Speaker: Well, the company is only about eight years old, so the focus has been rainforest regions mainly in Brazil, but as I said before, we do visit South-East Asia, which we started doing a couple of years ago. But I’m excited to say that we are planning to expand our operations to regions in Africa, such as the Serengeti and Madagascar. Business has been booming for ecotourism, so hopefully that trend will continue, for us and for other environmentally-conscious organisations…

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