Раздел 2 (задания по чтению)

12. Вы проводите информационный поиск в ходе выполнения проектной работы. Определите, в каком из текстов A—F содержатся ответы на интересующие Вас вопросы 1—7. Один из вопросов останется без ответа. Занесите Ваши ответы в таблицу.

1. How did the band get their first manager?

2. How many songs did The Beatles record?

3. What does the band’s name mean?

4. What music of the band was lost forever?

5. How did The Beatles start?

6. What sort of music did The Beatles play?

7. How did The Beatles conquer America?

A. The Fab Four, the famous Liverpool musical group commonly known as The Beatles, reached the peak of their popularity in the 1960s. But the real story began much earlier when Paul McCartney heard the skiffle country music played by John Lennon’s group at St. Paul’s church in Liverpool. McCartney was a brilliant guitarist, so they let him join the group at once.

B. The group changed its name several times, from Johnny and the Moondogs to Long John and the Silver Beatles and finally The Beatles. The short title is in itself a smart mixture of two words. The beat is a synonym for musical rhythm, while the beetles describe insects producing sounds using their shiny wings.

C. Lennon, Harrison, McCartney and Starr were the heart of The Beatles while the other members constantly changed. Many guitarists and drummers joined but finally left the group. The style changed too. When The Beatles left Britain to perform in Europe, they turned from folk to rock-n-roll to win over the public. They also played foreign music and composed their own songs.

D. Soon the group issued their first single, My Bonnie, which became popular in Liverpool. A customer once asked for it in a music shop, but there were no copies left. When Epstein, the shop owner, finally got the disc, he was surprised to hear a good quality song by the group that played in the club next to his shop. The same month he signed the first contract with The Beatles as their musical agent.

E. Although in 1963 the group issued more than three hundred thousand copies of their second album at home, they only broke the American market a year later. During their first tour to the USA the group was welcomed by thousands of fans at Kennedy airport in New York. For half a year The Beatles were touring the USA and were top of the charts.

F. During their USA tour The Beatles visited Elvis Presley. They talked a lot, played music and managed to record several priceless compositions. The reason why none of the songs have been issued is widely discussed today. No matter how hard musical agents tried to find the recordings, they failed. This is one of the secrets The Beatles left unrevealed.

Запишите в таблицу выбранные цифры под соответствующими буквами.

Говорящий …A… B… C… D… E

Вопрос

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Прочитайте текст. Определите, какие из приведённых утверждений 13—19 соответствуют содержанию текста (1 – True), какие не соответствуют (2 – False) и о чём в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (3 – Not stated). Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Honesty lesson

Josh Ferrin worked as an artist for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah. The newspaper has the longest history in the state and the biggest Sunday circulation. Josh had a lot of work and hoped that in several years he could save up for a house of his own.

Josh adored his wife and two children. They spent holidays together travelling in their old car that broke down regularly. At weekends in winter, they watched their favourite movies in a rented flat that seemed smaller and smaller as the children were growing.

Once Josh and his wife were watching a TV program about children who lived in an orphanage and needed parents. They were so deeply moved by the children’s sad life stories that they decided to adopt a child. The only thing that could stop them was the small flat. That was the moment Josh started looking for a new house.

Finding a proper house was not an easy thing to do. They wanted it to be not very expensive, big enough and have some history. Finally, Josh brought his wife to look at an outdated two-storey house with a large attic. Though the house needed repair, there was something about it that made Josh and his wife like it. The real estate agent told them the story of the previous owner. He had six children but lived a lonely life in that house and died several years ago. His children decided to sell the old house and share the money.

When they moved in, they went on exploring the house. The massive staircases, cosy bedrooms, a large kitchen and an airy living-room were all they could dream of. The only door that was closed led to the attic below the roof. The next day when his wife and children were away, Josh managed to unlock the door and decided to inspect the attic.

The dark space was empty, with spiders’ webs hanging in the corners. Josh turned on the light and noticed a pile of boxes and tins in one of the corners. A small, broken bike lay nearby. Josh thought the room would be ideal for his art studio and started cleaning it up. He threw away several empty boxes when he suddenly found out that all the rest were stuffed with old books.

Josh drew out several books from one of the boxes and found a thick pile of banknotes at the bottom. When the family returned, Josh called his wife and told her about the treasure he had found. He also showed her a short notice he had found in the same box. The message, «to my children’, was written on a piece of yellowish paper.

The sum was enough to buy a new car and repair the house for their own growing family and the child the Ferrins wanted to adopt. The temptation to keep the money was great, but Josh and his wife understood it was not their money.

The next week Josh found the previous owner’s family and handed them the money and the note.

13. Josh Ferrin started his career at the newspaper after his marriage.