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      Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea. His initial voyage to India in 1497—1499 was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and, in this way, the West and the Orient. Traveling the ocean route allowed the Portuguese to avoid sailing across the highly disputed Mediterranean and traversing the dangerous Arabian Peninsula. Unopposed access to the Indian spice routes boosted the economy of the Portuguese Empire, which was previously based along northern and coastal West Africa. The spices obtained from Southeast Asia were primarily pepper and cinnamon at first, but soon included other products, all new to Europe. Portugal maintained a commercial monopoly of these commodities for several decades. It would be a century later before other European powers such as the Netherlands and England, followed by France and Denmark, were able to challenge Portugal’s monopoly and naval supremacy in the Cape Route.

      TASK 2

      You are going to take part in a telephone survey. You have to answer six questions. Give full answers to the questions. Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.

      Electronic assistant: Hello! It’s the electronic assistant of International English Language Association. We kindly ask you to take part in our survey. We need to find out what students think about our programme. Please answer six questions. The survey is anonymous – you don’t have to give your name. So, let’s get started.

      Electronic assistant: How old are you and what school do you attend?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: How often do you have English lessons a week and how do you find them?

      Student:_________________________

      Electronic assistant: What activities do you find the most efficient?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: What subjects of interest do you discuss during the classes?

      Student: _________________________

      Electronic assistant: Why do you think it is important to speak English?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: What would you advise a person who wants to improve his/her English?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: This is the end of the survey. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

      TASK 3

      You are going to give a talk about your winter holidays. You will have to start in 1.5 minutes and speak for not more than 2 minutes – 10—12 sentences.

      Remember to say:

      • where you usually spend your winter holidays;

      • who you spend your holidays with;

      • what activities you usually have.

      You have to talk continuously.

      VARIANT 2

      TASK 1

      You are going to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.

      The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States fought from 1861 to 1865. The Union faced secessionists in eleven Southern states grouped together as the Confederate States of America. The Union won the war, which remains the bloodiest in U.S. history.

      Among the 34 U.S. states in January 1861, seven Southern slave states individually declared their secession from the U.S. and formed the Confederate States of America. War broke out in April 1861 when Confederates attacked the U.S. fortress Fort Sumter. The Confederacy grew to include eleven states; it claimed two more states and the western territory of Arizona. The Confederacy was never diplomatically recognized by any foreign country. The states that remained loyal including border states where slavery was legal, were known as the Union or the North. The war ended with the surrender of all the Confederate armies and the collapse of the Confederate government in the spring of 1865.

      TASK 2

      You are going to take part in a telephone survey. You have to answer six questions. Give full answers to the questions. Remember that you have 40 seconds to answer each question.

      Electronic assistant: Hello! It’s the electronic assistant of Municipal Leisure Service Organization. We kindly ask you to take part in our survey. We need to find out what students think about our pastime programme. Please answer six questions. The survey is anonymous – you don’t have to give your name. So, let’s get started.

      Electronic assistant: What’s your hobby? And why are you interested in it?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: How much time a week do you spend on your hobby?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: Do your parents support you in your hobby?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: What hobbies are the most popular with teenagers nowadays?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: Why do you think people take up hobbies?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: What would you advise a person who wants to start a hobby?

      Student: ________________________

      Electronic assistant: This is the end of the survey. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

      TASK 3

      You are going to give a talk about weather and seasons. You will have to start in 1.5 minutes and speak for not more than 2 minutes (10—12 sentences).

      Remember to say:

      • what season do you like most of all, and why;

      • how the climate affects our behavior and activities;

      • whether the weather forecast is reliable, and why.

      You have to talk continuously.

      VARIANT 3

      TASK 1

      You are going to read the text aloud. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, and then be ready to read it aloud. Remember that you will not have more than 2 minutes for reading aloud.

      Great Britain is a large island in the north Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental

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