Microsoft Word - L2 037 Reading

P O Z I O M 2

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C Z Y T A N I E

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TASK ONE

Read the texts and circle T for True or F for False.

Text 1

It may seem to be hard for American soldiers to grad

transfer from base to base or are on missions. Luckily, for decades there have been educational
programmes which have helped

After WWII, American veterans were coming back from the war without jobs,

remembering  the  economic  problems  of  the  1920s  Great  Depression.  To  avoid  the  comeback  of
a  similar  crisis,  Congress  decided  to
a  programme  called  GI  Bill  which  didn’t  only  educate  veterans  but  a
economy.

The GI Bill didn’t only offer e

benefit. Most Congressmen agreed to these proposals. However, part of the Bill concerning
the unemployment benefit met strong
of public debate, no changes were made to the Bill and it was a

Today all active duty soldier

ranking soldiers and officers. But officers
They must serve at least two years after completing the course. If they don’t, they must give the
money back. Other service members do not have
before they leave the army.

The programmes pay 100 percent of costs for courses in the US. However, there is a list of

accredited colleges to which soldiers
learning and online courses. Thus there is

The GI Bill helped to develop

The 1944 GI Bill included all the original proposals

Low-ranking soldiers cannot leave the army for two
years after finishing the course

The GI Bill finances online courses

Text 2

Venice is facing an environmental disaster

says in its report that Venice can
60,000 that come to the lagoon
visitors, instead of aiming at all kinds of tourists.

Venice is also threatened

Venice’s lagoon is expected to rise
cruise ships that sail into Venic
which the buildings stand. That is why some
Venice makes too much money out of tourism to

In order to protect Venice, t

barrier. This will control the flow
the government wants to launch soon
on the mainland to help tourists get to the city. Environmentalists see the point of the project
they also say that it will harm the

The report says no more than

The authorities have decided huge ships won’t be allowed into the lagoon.

The water level in Venice will be lower

and circle T for True or F for False.

GI Bills

It may seem to be hard for American soldiers to graduate from college

transfer from base to base or are on missions. Luckily, for decades there have been educational

ed soldiers to get a degree while in service.

American veterans were coming back from the war without jobs,

remembering the economic problems of the 1920s Great Depression. To avoid the comeback of
a similar crisis, Congress decided to invest in the veterans’ knowledge

called GI Bill which didn’t only educate veterans but also boost

The GI Bill didn’t only offer education assistance but also home loans and

benefit. Most Congressmen agreed to these proposals. However, part of the Bill concerning
the unemployment benefit met strong opposition from some Congressmen. Fortunately, after a lot
of public debate, no changes were made to the Bill and it was accepted by Congress in

soldiers can join the programme. Assistance is available for

But officers have a service obligation when they use the assistance.

They must serve at least two years after completing the course. If they don’t, they must give the

members do not have such an obligation. They must finish the course

The programmes pay 100 percent of costs for courses in the US. However, there is a list of

ccredited colleges to which soldiers can apply. They offer traditional classroom lecture

and online courses. Thus there is a lot of flexibility as to how soldiers can

GI Bill helped to develop the economy.

The 1944 GI Bill included all the original proposals.

ranking soldiers cannot leave the army for two

ears after finishing the course

finances online courses provided by accredited colleges.

Venice

facing an environmental disaster. Italia Nostra, an environmental organization,

in its report that Venice can handle maximum 30,000 tourists every day, far less than the

lagoon city now. It suggests that Venice should attract

ll kinds of tourists.

threatened by rising sea levels. In the next hundred years the sea level of

rise by about 50 cm. The situation is worsening

that sail into Venice. Waves push up mud and sand which erode

which the buildings stand. That is why some people want the authorities to

uch money out of tourism to consider such a proposal.

In order to protect Venice, the Italian government has already started building a

flow of water to and from the lagoon. There is one more investment

s to launch soon. It is an underwater subway connecting Venice with towns

help tourists get to the city. Environmentalists see the point of the project

the environment.

no more than 30,000 tourists should visit Venice daily.

The authorities have decided huge ships won’t be allowed into the lagoon.

will be lower thanks to the subway.

uate from college as they often

transfer from base to base or are on missions. Luckily, for decades there have been educational

American veterans were coming back from the war without jobs, still

remembering the economic problems of the 1920s Great Depression. To avoid the comeback of

veterans’ knowledge. So they prepared

boosted the national

but also home loans and unemployment

benefit. Most Congressmen agreed to these proposals. However, part of the Bill concerning

opposition from some Congressmen. Fortunately, after a lot

ccepted by Congress in 1944.

available for both low-

have a service obligation when they use the assistance.

They must serve at least two years after completing the course. If they don’t, they must give the

must finish the course

The programmes pay 100 percent of costs for courses in the US. However, there is a list of

r traditional classroom lectures, distance

as to how soldiers can get a degree.

an environmental organization,

maximum 30,000 tourists every day, far less than the

attract fewer but richer

hundred years the sea level of

ning because of the giant

erode wooden piles on

people want the authorities to ban such ships, but

started building a flood

. There is one more investment

connecting Venice with towns

help tourists get to the city. Environmentalists see the point of the project, but

TASK TWO

Read the texts and choose the best answer A, B or C.

Text 1

Blind Impulse

Some of them are gifted, some aren’t. You pass them on your way to and from work. If you

like what they do, you give them some money. If you don’t, you just walk on by. Buskers are people
who make money playing music or singing on the streets.

If you've travelled on the London Underground, you may have come across Mark Campbell,

a 52-year-old blind busker, who doesn’t sing or play a musical instrument, but whistles. Blind since
birth, for years Mark worked as a telephonist. Yet in the 1990s, he became unemployed and had to
look for another job. He wanted to try something new this time, so he completed a course for piano
tuners. The problem was that he failed the post-course theoretical test and received no license. The
practical  skills  he  had  gained  weren’t  enough  for  potential  employers.  His  interviewers  made  it
clear  that  without  a  license  he  stood  no  chance  of  getting  the  job.  Positions  of  typists  or  word
processor  operators  were  another  option,  but  Mark  was  determined  to  find  a  more  interesting
position, the one that he wouldn’t lose after another couple of months.

One day, Mark was passing a busker in Oxford Street and he thought he could do the same

thing. He was good at whistling, so he decided to entertain people in that way. When he shared the
idea with his friends, they just laughed, but Mark wasn’t discouraged. On June 1

1998, he told his

mates  he  was  having  a  job  interview  and  borrowed  a  suit  from  them.  Then,  smartly  dressed,  he
went to a tube station, put a hat on the floor and started whistling. 90 minutes later, Mark went to
his local pub. As usual, his mates were there playing darts and having beer. Mark asked them
to  count  the  money  in  the  hat,  and  it  turned  out  he’d  made  £36,  little  less  than  his  weekly
unemployment benefit. Mark was sure he had found his vocation at last. And when his mates saw
he’d collected an amount comparable to his benefit, they grew respectful of his efforts, too.

Today, after 12 years of busking, Mark has a repertoire of the most popular tunes. He

whistles the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and religious hymns. People love hymns, so he whistles them
every day at rush hour. He also does classical music, reggae and soul. He is disappointed that
people aren’t that keen on jazz, his favourite kind of music. Yet, he knows that a busker’s role isn’t
to please himself but to meet people’s expectations.

Some people may ask if busking is legal. It wasn’t allowed in the past, but many people

performed  in  public  anyway.  As  a  result,  the  authorities  made  the  trade  legal  in  2003.  Today
a special London Transport Committee holds auditions and selects people who are the best for the
job.  Interestingly,  music  school  graduates  aren’t  always  ideal  for  this  role.  Even  musicians  with
years  of  performing  experience  sometimes  get  rejected  by  the  Committee.  Why?  That’s  because
to  be  a  busker  you  have  to  be  a  good  entertainer  with  a  gift  to  please  the  general  public.  The
Committee decided Mark Campbell was a perfect candidate and gave him a license to do the job.

Today Campbell gives about four performances a week and he says he is happy with

the vocation he’s found in his life.

1.

Mark didn’t get the position of a piano tuner because he …

didn’t apply for it

didn’t have the right certificate

didn’t have practical skills for the job

On June 1

1998, Mark’s friends …

lent him some elegant clothes

went out to celebrate his decision

accompanied Mark to the tube station

Busking for the first time Mark earned …

as much as he got weekly from the state

more than he got weekly from the state

less than he got weekly from the state

Mark has learned that people don’t want him to whistle …

classical music

religious hymns

jazz music

To become a licensed busker one needs to have ...

a talent for entertaining people

some music education background

some experience in street performing

Text 2

Animal Instinct

Dolphins are friendly intelligent animals that willingly co-operate with humans. In the

1960s their unique features and trainability were noticed by the Navy, which started using
bottlenose dolphins and some sea lions for military purposes.

At first, the Navy used dolphins to find explosives under water. Later, it turned out that

they were equally good at finding enemy swimmers. During the Vietnam War, the Navy started the
so  called  Swimmer  Nullification  Programme  (SNP).  The  SNP  trained  dolphins  to  protect  anchored
warships from divers that could potentially plant explosives. The animals swam slowly, patrolling
the  area,  and  alerted  the  guards  if  they  located  a  swimmer.  They  also  "tagged"  the  enemy  with
a  marker  so  as  to  warn  Navy  divers  against  him.  However,  the  SNP  was  strongly  criticised  by
the  press.  Some  reporters  suggested  that  the  Navy  also  used  the  animals  for  shooting  enemy
divers. The  press articles  met  with  the  Navy officials’  immediate  reaction. The  military  explained
that no dolphin had ever been trained to attack a human.

Though the Navy can equip dolphins with cameras and sonar devices, it's the mammals'

natural  abilities  that  make  them  perfect  for  the  job.  Unlike  mechanical  mine-detectors,  dolphins
can  tell  the  difference  between  man-made  and  natural  objects.  It  is  an  important  skill,  because
enemies  often  craftily  camouflage  mines.  The  dolphins  also  have  an  extraordinary  sonar  ability
(using  their sense of hearing)  to  notice objects in even  very muddy  or  dirty  water.  This  ability is
so sophisticated that no human technology can replace it at the moment.

6.

The press criticized the SNP for using dolphins to ...

find explosive mines

shoot at human targets

detect enemy swimmers

The Navy has discovered that in muddy waters dolphins …

need the help of sonar equipment

manage to detect explosive mines

have trouble finding hidden mines

TASK

THREE

In this task six phrases have been removed from the text and placed at the bottom. An extra phrase
has been included. You must decide which phrase goes into which gap and write the letter in the box
below the sentences.

Afghans Praised After Op

The Afghan Uniform Police have continued making quick progress in Helmand province

by successfully conducting their first air assault operation. Working alongside personnel from 1

Battalion, The Rifles, they flew deep into the Green Zone on a mission … (1) … in the NAhr-e Saraj

district. The operation was conducted during the holy month of Ramadan, during which Muslims

fast between sunrise and sunset. The officers were given special permission … (2) … and play a key

role in securing the area.

While moving through tough terrain, the patrol searched a number of compounds for

improvised explosive devices. The compounds were suspected of being used as Taliban … (3) … .

Troops from the Rifles worked in close support of the group providing a secure cordon in which

the searches could be carried out.

During the operation, a member of the Afghan police triggered an IED in one of

the buildings. Although … (4) …, he died from his injuries. Then as the mission was almost over,

the patrol fell victim to an enemy ambush. After calling in support from their colleagues,

the personnel were able to extract back to their patrol base after a 45-minute contact.

Rfn James Clarke said: “When the shooting started everyone did their drills perfectly, we

took a knee and didn’t fire until … (5) …. There was no panic, we were able to concentrate on

the task, it was just like being on exercise.” Maj Karl Boswell added: “Taking into consideration that

this was their first helicopter assault, the Afghans were professional. They are … (6) … and they

have performed really well. This has been a massive step forward for them.”

Mjor Khan said: “We did not catch the Talibans today but that does not matter because they

know we are after them and we will not give them space to breathe. My men did very well today

despite our casualty and we will get better soon with more ISAF training,”

… A … we identified the firing point

… B … making real progress

… C … to stop insurgent activity

… D … he was airlifted to hospital

… E … to break from the tradition

… F … safe houses and factories

… G … he was made responsible