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The other day my friend nicky was reflecting on what kind of a job

01.11.202321.08.2022 admin 0 Comments

The other day my friend nicky was reflecting on what kind of a job

The other day, my friend Nicky was reflecting on what kind of a job she had

done as a mother. Her three boys had completed their education without major

mishaps, all were now holding down a job. Result! «Then I had dinner with them,»

said Nicky, «and, oh my God, their table manners. It was like feeding time at the

zoo. How did I forget to do table manners?»

Nicky made me thinking about the state of dining etiquette at my home. The

Daughter has never quite mastered putting her knife and fork together at the end of

a meal. The Boy eats like Henry VIII, and I don’t mean in an impressive, regal

manner. A sausage will be speared on a fork, then lifted up and gnawed from either

end. Tom who, after 15 years of nagging, chiding and pleading, is almost a

complete stranger to the knife, despite many attempts to explain that it’s the thing

you use to cut stuff up. My son will attempt to eat any foodstuff by fork — or hand

— alone. Judging by his peer group, the knife is increasingly regarded as an

optional implement. A finger buffet used to be something you found at weddings;

now all of life is one long finger buffet.

Frankly, I blame myself. I managed to drum please and thank you into both

children but, instead of insisting that they ate meat, I fed them the new childhood

staples: carrots, rice, pasta and sauce. Knives not required.

Over Sunday lunch last week, I encouraged the Boy to swap the fork into his

left hand, hold the knife in his right and push his peas onto the back of the fork. Not

too much to ask, is it? He gave an existential snort as befits a teenager. «Why would

I want to do that?» he inquired. «Because. Because table manners are. very

important,» I said helplessly.

Are they? Of course, they are. Manners make the man. At least, that’s what I

was taught during a childhood when every meal was an ordeal. Elbows Off The

Table! Don’t Speak With Your Mouth Full! Don’t Hold Your Knife Like a Pen!

Ask Before You Get Down From The Table! Don’t Chew Noisily! Where’s Your

And God help you if you didn’t clear your plate. We were the children of

frugal, wartime children and food was a serious business, not to be played with or

wasted. Back then, there was no such thing as a fussy eater: you were shut in a

room with five brussels sprouts till you surrendered.

Parents today lack both the stomach, and the time, for such a battle of wills.

Carolyn, a primary teacher who works at one of London’s leading prep schools,

tells me that it’s not uncommon for pupils to arrive unable to use cutlery. Partly, she

thinks it’s to do with being given constant finger food.

I can, however, identify another possible culprit: the kitchen island. It’s not

unusual to find all members of a family, adults and kids, standing round the island,

grazing on different types of food. They can’t be bothered to sit down at the table; if

they still have one, that is. According to recent research, six out of ten meals

consumed in British homes are eaten in front of the TV. Fortunately, there are no

statistics for barbarians like mine who are quite happy to eat in bed.

Is all this the end of civilization as we know it or just a changing family

dynamic with more casual ways of eating? Will my darling son ever learn to put his

peas on the back of a fork and be acceptable in polite society, or is polite society

now rudely picking up fries with its fingers?

I will always nag my kids about such things because they are an expression of

civility, restraint and, yes, my mother was quite right: speaking with your mouth

full is not nice.

12) How did Nicky feel about her children?

1) They were not well-educated.

2) They needed better jobs.

3) They misbehaved in public.

4) They were untidy at meals.

13) The author compares her son to the King of England because of his.

1) manner of speech.

2) reaction to his peers.

3) lack of table etiquette.

4) judgments about food.

14) What does the author blame herself for?

1) She was bad at cooking meat.

2) She was demanding about table manners.

3) She overlooked dining etiquette.

4) She made her children eat vegetables.

15) What is NOT true about the author’s childhood?

1) She was picky about food.

2) She was taught table manners.

3) She followed social rules.

4) She hated mealtimes.

16) The expression «lack the stomach» in «Parents today lack both the

stomach, and the time. » (paragraph 7) means to «lack the.

17) What is the major reason of poor dining etiquette, in author’s opinion?

1) People consume more food.

2) Children are not given knives.

3) TV programs omit this topic.

4) There are no strict mealtimes.

18) What is the main idea of the article?

1) Table manners are outdated in today’s world.

2) Modern people should learn dining etiquette.

3) Healthy food is more important than being polite.

4) People should accept new social norms.

Привет! Нравится сидеть в Тик-Токе?

Вариант 13

Раздел 1. Аудирование

Вы услышите разговор подруг. Определите, какие из приведенных утверждений А1 — А7 соответствуют содержанию текста (1 — True), какие не соответствуют (2 — False) и о чем в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (3 — Not stated). Обведите номер выбранного вами варианта ответа. Вы услышите запись дважды.

Sally likes «Alice in Wonderland» more now, as she understands it better.

Sally’s father loved «Alice in Wonderland» when he was a kid.

The Mad Hatter’s character makes Sally think of her own personality.

«Alice in Wonderland» did not make a good impression upon Susan.

Sally is sure that not everything is openly expressed in the book.

Susan has seen all the film adaptations of «Alice in Wonderland».

Sally respects Disney for not changing anything in the story.

Вы услышите рассказ студента. В заданиях А8—А14 обведите цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному вами варианту ответа. Вы услышите запись дважды.

The narrator says that the Union is a body which

According to the narrator the behavior of the Union members shows

The narrator ran for the office because

The narrator is not happy about the Union because the members

The narrator thinks that the Union should

The narrator believes that the Union members are interested in

For the narrator the university is a place to

Раздел 2. Чтение

A. Norway is first of all a land for those who love nature. The breathtaking fjords in the southwest of the country and Europe’s largest glacier are Norway’s most attractive places, but there are many other reasons to visit this country in the north of Europe. There are wonderful opportunities to enjoy skiing, fishing and rock-climbing. Others can take pleasure in the charm of the Norwegian countryside, with its countless valleys, high mountain lakes and unbelievable views.

B. Many tourists coming to Norway in the summer prefer to stay in a cottage used by northern Norwegian fishermen during the winter cod-fishing season. Equipped with all the necessary facilities, these cottages are leased to holiday makers, providing an attractive form of accommodation. They will often be actually over the water. Catching your own fish and cooking it on the fire will add a few pleasant moments to your holiday.

C. Norway has a long history of fishing, although much of the high quality shellfish and other species caught off the coast are exported. However, fish remains a common dish, along with meat, potatoes and other root vegetables, although tastes have changed in recent years to involve a wider international choice, including pizzas and burgers. The most popular traditional hot snack is a form of sausage, sold at numerous outlets.

D. Traditionally entertainment in the country is largely home-based, but this has been changing in recent years. Most Norwegians tend to go out only on Fridays and Saturdays, the rest of the week being fairly quiet. This is in no small part due to the high prices of food and drink, and the fact that the working day starts early. And at weekends, it is normal for the Norwegians to enjoy drinks at home before leaving it as late as 11.00 p.m.

E. Restaurants tend to be concentrated in city centres, while in recent years the pub culture has been gradually arriving in Norway. Cities are nowadays well supplied with a wide choice of bars, many of which offer food that has a lower price compared to the restaurants. Most villages of any size have at least one cafe or restaurant where it is possible to drink and eat out.

F. Norwegians are generally sincere and polite, though communication doesn’t often come easy — it is usually up to you to break the ice and establish contact. They can be very direct and rarely say ‘please’, which may seem rude, but it’s due to the fact that the Norwegian language rarely uses the word. On the other hand, they say ‘thank you’ for almost everything. They also tend to address people by their first name even on many formal occasions.

G. Norway is an expensive country. As labour is costly here, anything that can be seen as a ‘service’ will generally be more expensive than you expect. Transport costs can also be a killer, because the country is large and distances are long. But there is one good point: Norway has a high quality of tap water. So buying bottled drinking water is usually unnecessary and this will save your budget.

Установите соответствие тем 1 — 7 текстам A — F. Занесите свои ответы в соответствующее поле справа. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании одна тема лишняя.

The first hoots of laughter from an ancient ancestor of humans could be heard at least 10 million years ago, according to the results of a new study. Researchers used recordings of apes and babies being tickled A ___ to the last common ancestor that humans shared with the modern great apes, which include chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания А15—А21, обводя цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую номеру выбранного вами варианта ответа.

Scarcely had we settled into the Strawberry-pink Villa before my mother decided that I was running wild, and that it was necessary for me to have some sort of education. As usual when a problem arose, the entire family flung itself with enthusiasm into the task of solving it. Each member had his or her own idea of what was best for me.

Sitting under the open window in the twilight, I had listened with interest, not unmixed with indignation, to the family discussion of my fate. Finally my mother decided that George would be a good teacher for me. Now it was settled, I wondered vaguely who George was, and why it was so necessary for me to have lessons. But the dusk was thick with flower-scents, and the olive-groves were dark, mysterious, and fascinating. I forgot about the imminent danger of being educated, and went off with Roger to hunt for glow-worms in the sprawling brambles.

Later I discovered that George was my brother’s friend and he had come to Corfu to write. There was nothing very unusual about this, for all Larry’s acquaintances in those days were either authors, poets, or painters.

My new teacher came over to the villa to discuss my education with Mother, and we were introduced. We regarded each other with suspicion. George was a very tall and extremely thin man with a brown beard and a pair of large spectacles. He had a deep, melancholy voice, a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. However, he was not upset by the fact that there were no school-books available on the island; he simply looked through his own library and appeared on the appointed day armed with his own selection of books. He patiently taught me Geography from the maps in the back of an ancient copy of Pears Encyclopedia, English from books that ranged from Wilde to Gibbon, French from the book called «Le Petit Larousse», and mathematics from memory. From my point of view the most important thing was that we devoted some of our time to natural history, and George carefully taught me how to observe and how to note down observations in a diary. At once my enthusiastic interest in nature became focused, for I found that by writing things down I could learn and remember much more. The only morning that I was ever on time for my lessons were those which were given up to natural history.

Every morning at nine George would come into the little dining-room of the villa, sit at the table methodically arranging the books. He would droop over the exercise- book pensively, pulling at his beard. Then in his large, clear writing he would set the task for me to solve.

«If it took two caterpillars a week to eat eight leaves, how long would four caterpillars take to eat the same number? Now, apply yourself to that».

While I was struggling with the apparently insoluble problem of the caterpillar appetites, George was practicing some dancing moves in the hall as at that time he was engaged in learning some of the local dances, for which he had a passion. Through all this I would be watching him, fascinated, the exercise-book lying forgotten in front of me. Mathematics was not one of our successful subjects.

In geography we made better progress, for George was able to give a more zoological tinge to the lesson. We drew giant maps and then filled in the various places of interest, together with drawings of the most exciting animals and birds to be found there.

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