Английский язык для заочников

ВАРИАНТ 1

 

Задание 1. Укажите номера предложений, в которых окончание «-s» является показателем: a) множественного числа имени существительного; b) притяжательного падежа имени существительного; c)  глагола в 3-м лице ед.числа Present Simple.

           1. All Belarusian citizens are equal before the law, they enjoy equal   rights and equal duties.

2. The Belarus’s population is less than 10 million now.

   3.Their laboratory occupies a separate part of the building.

 

Задание 2. Укажите номера предложений, в которых указательные местоимения this, these, that, those  выступают как заместители ранее упомянутых существительных. Назовите эти существительные.

 

1. Natural rubber is of higher quality than that produced artificially.
2. These factors taken together ensure high production efficiency.

3. The pictures painted by Rembrant and those painted by Rubens have very little in common.

 

Задание 3. Укажите номера предложений, в которых встречаются сравнительные конструкции, имеющие значение: a) такой же, … как;

b) не такой, … как; с) чем; d) чем … тем.

1. On behalf of their nations the leaders of European countries, the United States and Canada declared in Helsinki in the summer of 1975 that their countries will encourage the expansion of trade on as broad a multilateral basis as possible.
2. The better a region is surveyed, the more reliable its potential deposits of raw materials and the better its economic prospects.
3. In Siberia highways are not so economically effective as a railway since motor transport over such long distances means vast fuel expenditure.
4. There is more water in Lake Baikal than in the Baltic Sea.

 

Задание 4.  Read the text. Then read the titles. Which of the following titles is the best?

a) Radio and Electronic Devices.

b) Radio Waves.

c) The Birth of Radio.

d) Radio and TV.

 

1. Today we don’t think twice when we turn on the radio, but when a 21-year-old Italian invented it over 100 years ago no one could believe their ears.

2. One day in 1895 in Bologna, Italy, an Italian engineer sent the world’s first radio signal. Using a simple radio transmitter and a receiver, he sent a signal from his attic room to his brother who was hidden in a field a kilometer away. 1 ____. The Italian government showed no interest in young Marconi’s invention, but his mother believed he had a good idea. So in February of the following year, she sent him to England to meet her cousin who was an important engineer. 2 ____.

3. In England this engineer and his cousin were joined by two other inventors. In 1897 he formed the Wireless Telegraph Company in London and started to transmit simple radio signals over long distances. In 1899 he sent the first wireless telegraph across the English Channel to France.

3 ____.

4. He had always believed that radio waves could travel round the curve of the earth. By 1901 he had improved his radio system so much that on 12^th December he astonished the world by sending the first radio signals across the Atlantic Ocean. 4 ____. His system was soon adopted by the British and Italian navies. From now on, his company had the monopoly of wireless communication and he became a multi-millionaire.

5. This engineer is one of the key figures of the twentieth century. He even recognized the military importance of radar and thought of the idea of sending radio signals out into space. When he died in 1937, wireless stations all over the world closed down for two minutes as a mark of respect. He made only one big mistake. 5 ____.

 

Задание 5. Read the text again. Choose the best sentence from the list below to complete each gap.

 

a)          They were transmitted from Poldhu in Cornwall, and were received 3,520 kilometres away in St John’s, Newfoundland, using an aerial flown in the air by a kite.

b)         When his brother received the signal he fired a gun.

c)          He thought that television would never become popular.

d)         This meant that ships were now able to send messages from ship to shore if they were in distress.

e) It was a journey that would change the world.

 

Задание 6. Choose the best answer to these questions according to the text.

1. Who invented the radio?

1. a French engineer,
2. an American engineer,
3. an Italian engineer.

2. What was the Italian government’s attitude towards this invention?

1. The Italian government was interested in this invention.
2. The Italian government didn’t believe that this invention was very useful.
3. The Italian government wasn’t interested in this invention.

3. Who helped this Italian engineer to continue his work?

1. American engineers,
2. His cousin and two other inventors,
3. Italian scientists.

4. Why was this invention so important for the British and Italian navies?

1. Because it was very cheap.
2. Because it helped the ships to send messages from ship to shore if they were in danger or difficulty.
3. Because they wanted to use it against the USA navy.

5. What was the only mistake made by the inventor?

1. He didn’t recognize the importance of radar.
2. He didn’t recognize the importance of telegraph.
3. He didn’t recognize the importance of television.

 

Задание 7. Translate paragraphs 2 and 3 into Russian.

 

ВАРИАНТ 2

 

Задание 1. Укажите номера предложений, в которых окончание «-s» является показателем: a) множественного числа имени существительного; b) притяжательного падежа имени существительного; c) глагола в 3-м лице ед.числа Present Simple.

1. One day in 1895 in Bologna, Italy, an Italian engineer sent the world’s first radio signal.

2. Electronics encompasses an exceptionally broad range of technology.

     3. All citizens enjoy freedom of speech, that is to say they are free to voice their opinions on any matter at meetings, in the press, on the radio and TV.

 

Задание 2. Укажите номера предложений, в которых указательные местоимения this, these, that, those  выступают как заместители ранее упомянутых существительных. Назовите эти существительные.

 

1. Those are the lorries carrying our brothers to the mines.
2. There are no richer art museums in this country than these of St Petersburg.
3. The electric power output in our country cannot compare to that of pre-revolutionary Russia.

 

 

Задание 3. Укажите номера предложений, в которых встречаются сравнительные конструкции, имеющие значение: a) такой же, … как;

b) не такой, … как; с) чем; d) чем … тем.

 

 

 

1. After World War II Belarus had to build new industries, modernize plants and manufacture machines, as good as, and often superior to, those made in the West.

2. Building density in cities is very high, and the greater the scale of urbanization, the greater the need for reliable, exhaustive geological information.

3. Mathematics is more important for technical students than many other subjects.

4. Dave isn’t such a good footballer as he used to be.

 

 

 Задание 4.    Read the text. Then read the titles. Which of the following titles is the best.

1. TV and Radio.
2. TV Companies.
3. TV and «University of the Air».
4. TV and Violence.

 

1. Watching television is one of the great British pastimes! Broadcasting in the United Kingdom is controlled by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA). 1 ____.

2. National radio is controlled by the BBC, and listeners can choose between four stations. Radio 1 is a pop-music station with news and magazine-style programs. Radio 2 plays light music and reports on sport.

3. 2 ____. There are many local stations, some private and some run by the BBC. Their programs consist mainly of music and local news.

4. The BBC has two TV channels. BBC 2 has more serious programs and news features. The IBA is responsible for looking after the regional independent TV companies who broadcast their own programs and those they have bought from other regions. There is a break for advertisements about every 15-20 minutes. 3 ____. In general, people think the programs offered on British television are of a very high standard. 4 ____.

5. TV and radio are also two of the main teaching channels used by the Open University. 5 ____. They also have to do without sleep as most of their programs are broadcast early in the morning or late at night!

6. New technology has made it possible for viewers to receive many more programs into their homes through satellite TV. The 1990s may well see many changes in British TV and radio.

 

Задание 5. Read the text again. Choose the best sentence from the list below to complete each gap.

1. Radio 3 plays classical music whilst Radio 4 has news programs, drama and general interest programs.
2. The BBC receives its income from the government, but the private companies controlled by the IBA earn money from advertising.
3. Some people, however, are becoming worried about the amount of violence on TV, and the effect this may have on young people.
4. This ‘university of the air’, allows many thousands of students to study at home for degrees they would never have obtained in the main educational system.
5. The most recent independent channel is called Channel 4 and it has more specialized programs than the main channels.

 

Задание 6. Choose the best answer to these questions according to the text.

1. Who is broadcasting in the United Kingdom controlled by?

1. It is controlled by the Prime Minister.
2. It is controlled by the BBC and the IBA.
3. It is controlled by the government.

2. Which station plays a lot of classical music?

1. Radio 1.
2. Radio 2.
3. Radio 3.

3. What is the IBA responsible for?

1. It is responsible for earning money from advertising.
2. It is responsible for looking after the regional independent TV companies.
3. It’s responsible for education.

4. What do people think about the programs offered on British television?

1. They think they are of a very high standard.
2. They think the programs leave much to be desired.
3. They think that there are few educational programs on British television.

5. Why is ‘university of the air’ so popular among the young people?

1. A lot of light music is played there.
2. This university gives them the opportunity to study at home.
3. It has news programs, drama and general interest programs.

 

Задание 7. Translate paragraphs 4,5 and 6 into Russian.

 

 

ВАРИАНТ 3

 

 

Задание 1. Укажите номера предложений, в которых окончание «-s» является показателем: a) множественного числа имени существительного; b) притяжательного падежа имени существительного; c) глагола в 3-м лице ед.числа Present Simple.

 

1. The Italian government showed no interest in young Marconi’s invention,

2. Scientists and engineers working in the nuclear industry have to cope with many complex problems.

3. According to the time-table, the train gets in at half past eight.

 

Задание 2. Укажите номера предложений, в которых указательные местоимения this, these, that, those  выступают как заместители ранее упомянутых существительных. Назовите эти существительные.

1. Consumption of bread and potatoes is decreasing steadily while that of sugar is increasing despite doctors’ recommendations.

   2. The new technologies that are being developed must be connected with traditional ones.

   3. These devices are more reliable than those designed in our laboratory.

 

Задание 3. Укажите номера предложений, в которых встречаются сравнительные конструкции, имеющие значение: a) такой же, … как;

b) не такой, … как; с) чем; d) чем … тем.

 

1.  Their operating system is considered by many people to be a better product than Microsoft’s.

2. The higher the voltage, the higher the electron velocity.

3.   His hands were as cold as ice.

4. These engines are not so powerful as those motors.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

Задание 4.     Read the text. Then read the titles. Which of the following titles is the best?

1. From the History of Mainframes.
2. From the History of Personal Computers.
3. From the History of Xerox Corporation.
4. From the History of Digital Research.

 

Задание 5. Read the text again. Choose the best sentence from the list below to complete each gap.

            1. In 1952, a major computing company took a decision to get out of the business of making mainframe computers. They believed that there was only a market for four mainframes in the whole world. That company was IBM. 1____.

            2. In 1980, IBM decided that there was a market for 250,000 PCs, so they set up a special team to develop the first IBM PC. It went on sale in 1981 and set a world-wide standard for IBM – compatibility which, over the next ten years, was only seriously challenged by one other company, Apple Computers. Since then, over seventy million PCs made by IBM and other manufactures have been sold. 2____.

            3. The history of the multi-billion dollar PC industry has been one of mistakes. Xerox Corporation funded the initial research on personal computers in their Palo Alto Laboratory in California. However, the company failed to capitalize on this work, and the ideas that they put together went into the operating system developed for Apple’s computers. 3____.

            4. The first IBM PC was developed using existing available electrical components. When IBM were looking for an operating system, they went initially to Digital Research, who were market leaders in command- based operating systems (4____). When the collaboration between IBM and Digital Research failed, IBM turned to Bill Gates to write their operating system.

            5. Bill Gates founded Microsoft on the basis of the development of MS/DOS, the initial operating system for the IBM PC. Digital Research have continued to develop their operating system, DR/DOS, and it is considered by many people to be a better product than Microsoft’s. However, without an endorsement from IBM, it has become a minor player in the market. 5 ____

            6. The cost of buying the hardware has come down considerably as the machines have become commodity items. Large companies are considering running major applications on PCs, something which, ten years ago, no one would have believed possible of a PC. In contrast, many computers in people’s homes are just used to play computer games.

            7. The widespread availability of computers has in all probability changed the world forever. The microchip technology which made the PC possible has put chips not only into computers, but also into washing-machines and cars. Some books may never be published in paper form, but may only be made available as part of public databases. Networks of computers are already being used to make information available on a world-wide scale.

 

1. these are operating systems in which the users type in commands to perform a function.
2. Over this period, PCs have become commodity items.
3. Novell, the leaders in PC networking, now own Digital Research, so things may change.
4. The following year they reversed their decision.
5. This was a graphical interface: using a mouse, the user clicks on icons which represent the function to be performed.

Задание 6. Choose the best answer to these questions according to the text.

1. How many mainframes did IBM think it was possible to sell in 1952?

1. a hundred,
2. four,
3. 250,000.

2. Which company was IBM only contested by?

1. Xerox Corporation,
2. Digital Research,
3. Apple Computers.

3. Who paid for the first research into PCs?

1. IBM,
2. Novell,
3. Xerox Corporation.

4. Which company later used the results of this research?

1. IBM,
2. Apple Computers,
3. Novell.

5. Which company turned to Bill Gates to write their operating system?

1. IBM,
2. Apple Computers,
3. Digital Research.

 

Задание 7. Translate paragraphs 1 and 2 into Russian.

 

 

 

ВАРИАНТ 4

 

Задание 1. Укажите номера предложений, в которых окончание «-s» является показателем: a) множественного числа имени существительного; b) притяжательного падежа имени существительного; c) глагола в 3-м лице ед.числа Present Simple.

1. The main task facing our people now is to build up the country’s economy.

    2. She never listens to the advice which I give her.

    3. Some books may never be published in paper form, but may only be made available as part of public databases.

 

Задание 2. Укажите номера предложений, в которых указательные местоимения this, these, that, those  выступают как заместители ранее упомянутых существительных. Назовите эти существительные.

 

1. An important matter is that of raising the effectiveness of external economic relations

2. For the last generation, Silicon Valley and Tokyo have been working to design computers that are ever easier to use.

3. These control systems are more efficient  than those described in that journal.

 

Задание 3. Укажите номера предложений, в которых встречаются сравнительные конструкции, имеющие значение: a) такой же, … как;

b) не такой, … как; с) чем; d) чем … тем.

1. The world is in the midst of an electronic revolution at least as significant as the industrial revolution of the 19th century.

2. Clipboard PCs  are not much bigger than an actual clipboard.

3. The bigger the mass, the bigger the weight of the body.

4. This is not such an interesting book as his last one.

Задание 4. Read the text. Then read the titles. Which of the following titles is the best?

1. Portable Computers.
2. Desktop Computers.
3. Clipboard Computers.
4. Mainframe Computers.

 

Задание 5.     Read the text again. Choose the best sentence from the list below to complete each gap.

1. For the last generation, Silicon Valley and Tokyo have been working to design computers that are ever easier to use. There is one thing, however, that has prevented the machines from becoming their user friendliest: you still have to input data with a keyboard, and that can require you to do a lot of typing and to memorize a lot of elaborate commands.

            2. Enter the clipboard computer, a technology that has been in development for the last 20 years but took hold in the mass market only this year. Clipboard PCs –which, as their name suggests, are not much bigger than an actual clipboard — replace the keyboard with a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen and an electronic stylus. 1 ____.

            3. There are two technologies at work in a clipboard PC: one allows raw data to get into the computer and the other allows the computer to figure out what that data means. The first technology relies principally on hardware and varies depending on the particular computer. In one system, marketed under the name GRID Pad, the computer’s LCD screen is covered by a sheet of glass with a transparent conductive coating. Voltages are sent across the glass in horizontal and vertical lines forming a fine grid; at any point on the grid, the voltage is slightly different. When the stylus — which is essentially a voltmeter — touches the screen, it informs the computer of the voltage at that point. 2 ____. The position of the stylus is monitored several hundred times a second, so as the stylus moves across the glass, whole strings of pixels are activated.

            4. Making that writing comprehensible to the computer, however, requires the help of some powerful software. When the stylus is being used, the computer is programmed to look for moments when the tip does not touch the screen for a third of a second or more. 3____. The pixel positions of this fresh character are then passed on to the computer’s pattern recognition software, which instantly identifies the letter or number written.

            5. The software does this by first cleaning up the character — smoothing out crooked lines and removing errant dots. 4 ____. When the computer finds the closest match, it encodes the character in memory and displays it on the screen as if it had been typed. 5 ____. To move to the next page, you flick the stylus at the bottom of the screen as if you’re flicking the page of a book.

 

1. The computer uses this information to determine where the stylus is and causes a liquid crystal pixel to appear at those coordinates.
2. The remaining lines and curves are then compared with a series of templates in the computer’s memory that represent hundreds of thousands of different versions of every letter in the English alphabet and all ten numerals.
3. Users input data by printing individual letters directly on the screen.
4. To delete a word, you simply draw a line through it.
5. Every time this happens the software assumes that one letter or number has been written.

 

Задание 6.     Choose the best answer to these questions according to the text.

How big is a clipboard PC?

1. It is smaller than an actual clipboard.
2. It is not much bigger than an actual desktop computer.
3. It is not much bigger than an actual clipboard.

1. How does the computer know when one letter or number is complete?

1. The software decides that one character or number is complete if the tip of the stylus is not in contact with the screen for more than half a second.
2. The computer is programmed to look for moments when the tip does not touch the screen for a third of a second or more.
3. The computer gives a user one second for each letter or number.

2. How can you delete a word after you have written it?

1. You must clean the screen with a special piece of cloth.
2. You must write a word ‘delete’ on the screen.
3. You draw a line through it.

3. How can you change the page?

1. You must write ‘next page’ on the screen.
2. You must draw a line at the top of the screen.
3. You must flick the stylus at the bottom of the screen.

5.         Does a clipboard computer have a keyboard?

1. On a clipboard, an electronic pen replaces the traditional keyboard.
2. A clipboard computer uses a keyboard instead of a stylus.
3. Every clipboard computer has a keyboard and a stylus.

 

Задание 7. Translate paragraph 3 into Russian.

 

ВАРИАНТ 5

 

 

Задание 1. Укажите номера предложений, в которых окончание «-s» является показателем: a) множественного числа имени существительного; b) притяжательного падежа имени существительного; c) глагола в 3-м лице ед. числа Present Simple.

1. The computer uses this information to determine where the stylus is.

2. The computer’s LCD screen is covered by a sheet of glass with a transparent conductive coating.

3. Users input data by printing individual letters directly on the screen.

 

Задание 2. Укажите номера предложений, в которых указательные местоимения this, these, that, those  выступают как заместители ранее упомянутых существительных. Назовите эти существительные.

1. A work generated by a computer may resemble that of a certain artist in both style and form.

2. The simplest materials are those which have only one kind of atoms.

3. The robots became so intelligent that they revolted.

 

Задание 3. Укажите номера предложений, в которых встречаются сравнительные конструкции, имеющие значение: a) такой же, … как;

b) не такой, … как; с) чем; d) чем … тем.

1. The new machines were smaller and less expensive than earler models.

2. The greater the number of free electrons in a substance, the better this substance conducts electricity.

 

3.There are several advantages in making computers as small as one can.

4. A bike isn’t as safe as a car.

 

 

Задание 4.     Read the text. Then read the titles. Which of the following titles is the best?

1.         Robots and Their Masters.

2.         Robots in Education.

3.         Robots in Medicine.

4.         Robots: Past, Present and Future.

 

Задание 5.     Read the text again. Choose the best sentence from the list below to complete each gap.

1. The word ‘robot’ was invented by the Czech playwright, Karel Čapek. It comes from the Czech word for ‘work’. In Čapek’s play RUR (Rossum’s Universal Robots), which came to London in 1921, the robots became so intelligent and so disillusioned with their human masters that they revolted. They destroyed the humans and created a new world inhabited only by robots. 1____.

            2. In 1954, the American inventor George Devol began work that eventually led to the industrial robot as we know it today. 2____. Since then, many companies have entered the robotics market.

            3. Between 1967 and 1969, researchers at the Stanford Research Institute in the United States developed a robot with wheels named Shakey. Shakey was fitted with bump detectors, a sonar range finder, and a TV camera. 3____. However, at the time, Shakey was thought to be a failure. This was because it could only be controlled by a separate mainframe computer, which sent its commands to the robot through a radio channel.

            4. The next important step was the development of robots with legs. In 1967, the General Electric Corporation had developed a four- wheeled machine for the US Department of Defense. The machine carried a human operator who had to control each of the four legs. 4____.

            5. Later devices were more successful – for example, a four-legged robot developed at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1980. This system combined a human controller with automatic processing of information about the terrain, right down to the foot movements needed to ensure smooth movement.

            6. In 1983, a six-legged robot was developed by Odetics Incorporated, for commercial production. 5____. This machine could walk over obstacles and lift loads several times its own weight.

            7. Meanwhile, research continues on machines that rely on one or two legs. In 1984, Marc Raibert developed one-legged hopping robots at Carnegie Mellon University in the USA.

 

a. His company, the Unimation Company, developed flexible industrial

  machines and began to market them in the early sixties.

b. This was an extremely difficult job for the driver, and the machine regularly became unbalanced and fell over.

c. A battery-powered model, Odex I, used a radio channel for leg control and a video link for conveying images.

d. All three helped Shakey to move freely and avoid obstacles.

e. This theme of ungrateful robots rebelling against their human creator is one that has been used by many science fiction writers.

 

Задание 6.     Choose the best answer to these questions according to the text.

1. Who invented the word ‘robot’?

1. American scientists,
2. Czech scientists,
3. the Czech playwright.

2. When did George Devol begin his work that led to the industrial robot?

1. in 1921,
2. in 1954,
3. in 1967.

3. Where was a robot with wheels named Shakey developed?

1. in the UK,
2. in the USA,
3. in Canada.

4. What corporation developed robots with legs?

1. the British Broadcasting Corporation,
2. Xerox Corporation,
3. the General Electric Corporation.

5. What kind of robot was developed by Odetics Incorporated?

1. a one — legged hopping robot,
2. a four — legged robot,
3. a six — legged robot.

 

Задание 7. Translate paragraphs 3 and 4 into Russian.