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READING COMPREHENSION

You are going to read an extract from an article about folk customs. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (1- 6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

The Yule Candle.

The Yule Candle was a very large ornamental candle. in Britain, Ireland and Scandinavian countries it used to be used at Christmas-time. (0) ____C____ Holly leaves were also sometimes used to decorate it. On Christmas Eve it might be lit and placed on or near the supper table. (1) __D_

Sometimes, however, it wasn’t lit till early on Christmas morning (2) ___E___. In some districts it was not lit again but it was more usual for it to be re-lit every night till Twelfth Night.

(3) _A_. If it went out however, or was blown out, then it was a warning of tragedy or death in the coming year. Generally it was only lit by the head of the family. When it was lit it was unlucky if anyone else touched it. Snuffing it out was also considered unlucky, as was moving it from its chosen place. A pair of tongs was used to press the wick down when it was time to put it out. Sometimes it was left to burn itself out, but this was not very common because people believed that the stump of the candle had protective or fertilizing powers. (4) _H_ It was also thought to be a charm against evil if it was kept in the house for the next twelve months.

(5) __B_ This was supposed to prevent the house from being struck by lightning. Farmers in Sweden were known to smear the plough with tallow – the animal fat used to make the candle – when ploughing started in the spring. This was supposed to bless the soil and ensure a good harvest. In some parts of Scotland though, the remains of the Yule Candle were locked away in a chest and were only used at the solemn celebration of the death of the owner.

At one time, even until about the middle of the 18^th century, Yule candles were given as a mark of respect. Candlemakers would present them to valued customers as Christmas gift. Up until the outback of the First World War, English grocers often sent customers boxes of coloured candles at Christmas (6) _F_. They could not really be compared with the traditional long-burning Yule Candle.

A       No one ever blew it out because that brought bad luck.

B       In Denmark, it was often relit during the year, if a thunderstorm was expected.

C       It was often coloured red, green or blue.

D       There, it would be left to burn all night.

E       Then it burned till bedtime.

F       These, however, were of ordinary size.

G      Yule Candles were difficult to obtain.

H       The Yule Candle was supposed to bless the household.

USE OF ENGLISH

Multiple choice (множественный выбор) – тестовое задание, при выполнении которого необходимо выбрать ответ из нескольких предлагаемых вариантов. При этом лишь один из предложенных вариантов правильный. (Остальные – отвлекающие варианты.)

For questions 1-15 read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C, or D best fits each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A Man of his Time.

Charles Dickens is one of the best loved (0)  __B__ in English (1) ____. Although he wrote about problems and conditions (2) _____ Victorian times, his books have endured and are (3) _____ enjoyed by the young and the old (4) ____. Many of them have been (5) ____ into films and television (6) ____ which attract a (7) _____ audience, including the ever popular Oliver Twist about an orphan who was rescued from a gang of thieves. Perhaps the secret of Dickens’ success (8) ___ in his brilliant characterization, in (9) _____ we (10) _____ recognize the faults, failings and problems and the struggle (11) ____ survival of many people (12) ___ his time. He made his characters so alive that we believe in them as real people. Some of them were based on people he knew or knew about, but in every case they remained individuals in their own right. He often made his (13) ___ purposely long and (14) ___, demanding our attention (15) ___ that we read on, anxious to know what happens next.

0       A journalists       B writers    C composers     D authorities

1       A arts                  B writing    C language        D literature

2       A in            B into                  C to            D at

3       A still                   B yet          C now                 D even

4       A present  B recently C currently          D today

5       A made              B translated       C converted       D transferred

6       A visuals   B programmes   C documentaries D displays

7       A broad     B spacious         C wide                D lengthy

8       A depends         B remains C lies                   D roots

9       A which     B to            C that                  D what

10     A ought               B would     C can                  D could

11     A after                 B for          C to            D from

12     A to            B of           C with                  D on

13     A plots                B plans               C schedules       D routines

14     A complicated    B mixed     C disconnected D distributed

15     A and                  B after                 C so           D such

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