Imperial treasures from Vienna

It is small – it’s just a ring, after all. It is also surprising and breathtaking. The colour and purity of the stone and the shield-like shape that forms the front of the object give the sapphire ring the kind of cool elegance that can, however, be reproduced in photographs. But its amazing hot halo of shooting blue, purple and pink lights is visible only in person. The entire ring is masterfully carved from a single, unbroken hunk of the precious gem. It’s unique – there is nothing quite like it anywhere else. Made in 1400, the ring is the earliest of the 60 treasures on view in “Splendour and Power”, which just opened at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. It is a perfect example of the exhibition’s purpose, which is to delight visitors while also explaining why rulers collected these very expensive, ornate and masterfully crafted objects. In this case the collectors were the dynasty of the Habsburgs, who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from their Austrian base for centuries.

Surprisingly, these pieces may occasionally mimic the shapes of useful objects, like drinking cups, but they were never meant to be utilitarian. That is not to say they lacked purpose. Indeed, they were designed to “enchant the senses, delight the eye and inspire the intellect,” writes Sabine Haag, the curator of this show, which was loaned from Vienna’s Kunsthistoriches Museum (KHM), in the excellent catalogue.

Some of the precious objects were prized as exotic messengers from far-off lands. These include a carved, pale jade Ming bowl, mounted with rubies from the Ottoman court (possibly as a diplomatic gift). When it made its way to the Habsburgs it joined other spectacular objects in the Kunstkammer (art chamber), collected to further legitimise and enhance the power of the ambitious owner.

It was only in the 19th century that art was split into “high” and “low". Anything decorative fit into the latter category, regardless of beauty or technical expertise. As a result, some may find it difficult to look at these rock-crystal vessels, jewels and perfume flasks as works of art. The single piece in this exhibition that should succeed in repairing this ill-judged high/low divide is the ivory cup made by Bernhard Strauss in Augsburg around 1660. It is so deeply carved with classical gods and goddesses – Apollo with his lyre, Diana with her alert dog – that the piece has become translucent. It seems Strauss brought Olympus to life.

Elsewhere in the Fitzwilliam paintings and sculpture are exhibited in rooms decorated with fine Oriental rugs, warm wood furniture and tick-tocking Thomas Tompion clocks. But never mind. Benefactions from the Monument Trust have allowed the Fitzwilliam to commission new display cases of non-reflective glass. The welcome illusion is that nothing separates the viewer from the viewed.

 

The Kunstkammer at the KHM can boast of the greatest surviving princely treasure in the Western world. It has been closed for refurbishment since 2002, making this loan – the largest for half a century – possible. The Kunstkammer is expected to reopen at the end of next year, after which decades will surely pass before its objects leave home again. For those within striking distance of Cambridge, enough said.

 

13

 

According to the author, the beauty of the exhibited sapphire ring can be fully appreciated …

 

 

1)	in a photograph.
2)	at the exhibition.
3)	in special light.
4)	where it was carved.

 

Ответ:

 

 

14

 

“ It ” in “It is a perfect example of the exhibition’s purpose” (paragraph 1) refers
to the …

 

 

1)	ring.
2)	exhibition’s collection.
3)	exhibition’s origin.
4)	exhibition’s catalogue.

 

Ответ:

 

 

15

 

Saying “they were never meant to be utilitarian” the author means that the exhibits were supposed to be …

 

 

1)	useful.
2)	expensive.
3)	decorative.
4)	unusual.

 

Ответ:

 

 

 

16

 

According to the author (paragraph 4), some objects may be seen as …

 

 

1)	common things.
2)	poorly manufactured.
3)	spoilt in repairs.
4)	collected ill-advisedly.

 

Ответ:

 

 

17

 

“Some” in “some may find it difficult to look at these rock-crystal vessels, jewels and perfume flasks as works of art” (paragraph 4) refers to the …

 

 

1)	exhibits.
2)	visitors.
3)	artists.
4)	owners.

 

Ответ:

 

 

18

 

The Monument Trust helped to provide …

 

 

1)	better attendance of the exhibition.
2)	better decorated rooms.
3)	furniture for the exhibition rooms.
4)	better conditions for viewing the exhibits.

 

Ответ:

 

 

19

 

The article was written to …

 

 

1)	advertise Vienna’s Kunsthistoriche Museum.
2)	prove that the exhibits are works of art.
3)	attract more visitors to the exhibition.
4)	describe the treasures of the Hapsburgs.

 

Ответ:

 

 

 

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 20–26. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Ordeal by water

It is tempting to regard the river Thames as another artery in London’s integrated transport system, a continuation of the Victoria Underground line. In this ideal world, passengers move effortlessly from river ferry to train, bus or Tube, continuing their seamless journey carefree.

Unfortunately, that is not exactly how it is. Father Thames is not as kind and even-tempered as it might seem as one is looking at the map. It is a muddy, tidal creek whose flukish currents insidiously rip round the base of bridges. Navigation is hard. And the river is not straight: it does giant loops, especially around the Canary Wharf financial district. A passenger alighting from a river ferry often has to walk five or ten minutes to the nearest land connection.

With London’s Tube and buses bursting at the seams, a succession of entrepreneurs have braved these negatives and tried unsuccessfully to set up commuter services on this natural highway. Sean Collins reckons he is the 15th since 1905 – but this time things may have changed. His business, which started as Collins River Enterprises in 1999, shows every sign of surviving its second decade, despite the economy’s woes and volatile fuel costs. Thames Clippers, as the firm is called these days, carried 3.2m passengers in 2009, running fast catamarans between Woolwich, downriver of the city centre, and Waterloo.

Perhaps Mr. Collins, now its managing director, simply was lucky enough to pick the right time. The past decade has been kind to the Thames. Big property developments have sprung up on both sides of the river, and more are on their way before the 2012 Olympic games. And so far, at least, Canary Wharf seems to be weathering the financial storm. But there has been still another advantage: both public and private backing for the firm have been crucial.

Thames Clippers gets a small subsidy from Transport for London, part of the Greater London Authority. A big step towards welcome integration came in November, when passengers were first allowed to use their fare cards on Thames Clippers, too. And recently, Greenwich Council agreed to pay £269,000 for guaranteed service between Greenwich and Woolwich over the next four years.

One big problem is the jumbled ownership and management of landing piers: the Greater London Authority owns 7 of the 13 in central London and various property developers the rest. At piers used jointly, the situation does not favour the ferries trying to stick to a timetable. They can be delayed by tourist boats hanging on for passengers. To have more control of its schedule, Thames Clippers took over the lease of the privately-owned London Bridge City Pier in November.

Another impediment is the unnecessarily rigid restriction on speed. The Port of London Authority imposes a 12-knot limit west of Wapping, which means that boats can show their exhilarating 30-knot cruising speed only on the eastern stretches of the river.

The Port of London Authority supports the plan to get more people on the river but insists that safety is most important. It also points out that tourists and freight, not just commuters, use the Thames. So for the moment, Thames Clippers’ civilised catamarans to and from Waterloo remain a secret pleasure for the cognoscenti.

 

20

 

According to paragraphs 1 and 2, the Thames is …

 

 

1)	fully integrated into London’s transport system.
2)	not perfectly fit for solving London’s transport problems.
3)	an ideal way to travel round the city.
4)	providing a shorter journey than on-land transport.

 

Ответ:

 

 

21

 

The words “the natural highway” in “tried unsuccessfully to set up commuter services on this natural highway” (paragraph 3), stand for …

 

 

1)	the city centre.
2)	the railway.
3)	the Tube.
4)	the Thames.

 

Ответ:

 

 

22

 

Which was the most important factor for Thames Clippers’ success?

 

 

1)	Huge numbers of passengers.
2)	The luck of the owner.
3)	Private and public investments.
4)	New and fast catamarans.

 

Ответ:

 

 

23

 

 “ Their ” in “allowed to use theirfare cards on Thames Clippers, too” (paragraph 5) refers to …

 

 

1)	Transport for London.
2)	the passengers.
3)	Greenwich Council.
4)	Thames Clippers.

 

Ответ:

 

 

24

 

Which impediment for Thames Clippers operations is NOT mentioned in the text?

 

 

1)	Inadequate fares for boat trips.
2)	Uncertainty about the timetable.
3)	Joint ownership of the piers.
4)	Speed limit for river transport.

 

Ответ:

 

 

25

 

Calling the catamarans “a secret pleasure for the cognoscenti”, the author means that …

 

 

1)	they are not very suitable.
2)	they offer a good way to spend your free time.
3)	there are few of them compared to the tourist boats.
4)	the possibility to use them is not appreciated by everybody.

 

Ответ:

 

 

26

 

According to the title of the article, the author thinks that the river transport …

 

 

1)	needs improvement.
2)	is not very promising.
3)	is suitable only for tourists.
4)	provides big business opportunities.

 

Ответ:

 

 

 

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 27–33. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates has always fascinated me both as a person and head of the greatest company in the world. His talent became obvious rather early. Bill was the second of three children in an upper-middle class family. He enjoyed playing games with the family and was very competitive. He also loved to read. Bill became bored in public school so his family sent him to Lakeside School, a private school, where he excelled in math, science and English.

Bill was no more than 13 when he became interested in computer programming during the era of giant computers. His school held a fund-raiser to purchase a teletype terminal so students could use computer time that was donated by General Electric. Using this time, Gates wrote a tic-tac-toe program using BASIC, one of the first computer languages. Later he created a computer version of Risk, a board game he liked in which the goal is world domination.

At this time Bill met Paul Allen, who shared his interest in computers. This event had a great impact on his future life, though negative at the beginning. Gates and Allen hacked into a computer belonging to Computer Center Corporation (CCC) to get free computer time but were caught. After a period of probation, they were allowed back in the computer lab when they offered to fix glitches in CCC’s software. At age 17, Gates and Allen were paid $20,000 for a program called Traf-O-Data that was used to count traffic.

In early 1973, Bill Gates served as a congressional page in the U.S. House of Representatives. He scored 1590 out of 1600 on the SAT and was accepted by Harvard University. However, as he later confessed, most of it was a sheer waste of time. Meanwhile, Paul Allen dropped out of Washington College to work on computers. Soon he convinced Gates to drop out of Harvard and join him in starting a new software company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They called it Micro-Soft. This was soon changed to Microsoft, and they moved their company to Bellevue, Washington.

The breakthrough came in 1980. IBM, one of the largest technology companies of the era, asked Microsoft to write software to run their new personal computer, the IBM PC. Bill and Paul saw their chance and kept the licensing rights for the operating system (MS-DOS). Consequently, they earned money for every computer sold first by IBM, and later by all the other companies that made PC computers. Microsoft grew from 25 employees in 1978 to over 90,000 today.

Over the years, Microsoft developed many new technologies and products such as Word and Power Point. Although some journalists have criticized Gates for using questionable business practices, it is his genius that built Microsoft into one of the largest companies in the world. He has been described as brilliant but childlike, driven, competitive, intense, fun, but lacking in empathy. However, in the last point, they have been proved wrong.

Nowadays Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world. In 2012, his $61 billion dollars in assets made him the world’s second richest man according to Forbes Magazine.

In 2006, Gates announced that he would cut back his involvement at Microsoft to spend more time on philanthropy. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports many causes including the quest to eradicate Polio, fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, providing vaccinations for children and trying to make a difference in other vital issues. The great American in every respect!

 

2 7

 

According to the author, when Bill Gates was young, he …

 

 

1)	was good at his native tongue at school.
2)	found public school rather challenging.
3)	usually let other people win.
4)	was rather poor and lonely.

 

Ответ:

 

 

28

 

When at school Bill Gates …

 

 

1)	turned a board game into a computer game.
2)	raised money to purchase а teletype terminal.
3)	considered giant computers to be horrible.
4)	invented the first computer language.

 

Ответ:

 

 

29

 

What happened after Bill Gates met Paul Allen?

 

 

1)	They were sent to prison for hacking.
2)	They got involved in a criminal activity.
3)	They earned money helping to make cars.
4)	They got a job putting together computers.

 

Ответ:

 

 

30

 

“ It ”(They called it …) in paragraph 4 refers to …

 

 

1)	Albuquerque.
2)	New Mexico.
3)	software.
4)	company.

 

Ответ:

 

 

31

 

According to the text, Microsoft did NOT make money from …

 

 

1)	IBM selling personal computers.
2)	other companies selling personal computers.
3)	creating software for personal computers.
4)	selling personal computers to IBM.

 

Ответ:

 

 

32

 

According to some journalists, as a person Bill Gates …

 

 

1)	was rather shy in his childhood.
2)	has shown incredible maturity.
3)	has not always been very honest.
4)	usually tried to understand and help people.

 

Ответ:

 

 

33

 

The main idea of the last paragraph is that Bill Gates …

 

 

1)	considers charity to be his priority.
2)	has become very wealthy and famous.
3)	finds it important to realize all his talents.
4)	is no longer actively involved with Microsoft.

 

Ответ:

 

 

 

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 34–40. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

 

Processed food in the USA

Even though America’s fast food chains and grocery stores have been trying to turn a new leaf to observe the fight against obesity, a new study suggests that most of Americans still get the majority of their calories from highly processed foods pumped with salt, sugar, and fat.

Americans get 57.7 percent of their calories from “ultra-processed” food. In other words, Americans get over half of their food from the factory – not the farm – using chemicals to fake freshness and natural elements, while being pumped with flavors that have all been linked to addiction in multiple studies.

But before we gawk at that number, let’s define what it means to be a processed food. According to the National Health Service, processed foods are any type of food that has been altered from its natural state for safety or convenience.

Processed foods include breakfast cereals, cheese, canned vegetables, and even milk and bread – some of the staples of our daily diet. And yes, processed foods also include the unhealthier things, like microwave meals, chips, bacon, and sodas. 

The thing that almost all processed foods have in common, however, is that they’re pumped with sugar and salt to help preserve their flavor and shelf life. Since most foods found in your average grocery store – aside from fresh fruit and vegetables – are technically processed, it’s likely you’re eating way more of these things than you’re aware.

The researchers found that American consumers mostly purchase moderately processed food (products still recognizable as their original plant or animal), and highly processed food (food mixtures that aren’t recognizable as their original source). Americans are more likely to buy ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat products. The end result? Obesity. According to the World Obesity Federation, 40 percent of American women and 35 percent of men are obese. This places the United States among the fattest countries in the world. Not that genetics don’t play a role – but this isn’t a debate about whether weight comes from nature or nurture.

It’s worth noting that 74 percent of packaged American foods now have added sugar in them – including things like yogurt, bread and pasta sauce. American cuisine then takes these processed ingredients and layers them on top of each other. When you think of how many things can be dipped in chocolate, drizzled with cheese or covered in chili, it’s easy to lose track of how unhealthily we eat on a daily basis.

How do we change this in America? Shop small and thoughtfully. Little grocery stores, like their European counterparts, still exist with fresh local ingredients. Don’t buy frozen chicken and condiments to cover its processed taste. Shopping at a food co-op also helps support local, fresh and sustainable ingredients. Availability will vary, and a few products might be more expensive, but the improved quality will more than make up for the difference.

Also try to take time to really cherish and appreciate meals. Set aside a few nights to cook. Invite friends over for dinner parties. If your first attempt at home-made meatballs goes awry, your misery will enjoy the company – hopefully. Food should be a fun experience, from picking the ingredients to eating the results. It’s a simple pleasure, one that the emphasis on convenience of modern America has lost.

 

 

34

 

The author claims that fast food restaurants are trying to …

 

 

1)	serve highly processed food.
2)	make their food less harmful.
3)	change their customer policies.
4)	limit salt, sugar and fat in their food.

 

Ответ:

 

 

35

 

According to the article, the major aim of producing processed food is to …

 

 

1)	prolong its shelf life.
2)	help us eat healthier.
3)	make food more nutritious.
4)	increase its natural flavor.

 

Ответ:

 

 

36

 

The phrase “these things” in “… eating way more of these things...” (paragraph 5) most probably refers to …

 

 

1)	sugar and salt.
2)	fresh fruit and vegetables.
3)	processed vegetables.
4)	fresh groceries.

 

Ответ:

 

 

37

 

Why is the USA, according to the author, among the fattest countries in the world?

 

 

1)	Americans are genetically inclined to gain weight.
2)	Most of American women are obese.
3)	Americans consume a lot of highly processed food.
4)	Obesity comes from consuming food mixtures.

 

Ответ:

 

 

38

 

According to the author, the reason for unhealthy daily dietary habits in the USA is in the …

 

 

1)	quality of pasta sauces.
2)	inattention to healthy nutrition.
3)	popularity of packaged foods.
4)	consumption of too many sweets.

 

Ответ:

 

 

39

 

What advice on food shopping does the author give?

 

 

1)	Order ingredients from Europe.
2)	Buy more expensive products.
3)	Check the freshness of food.
4)	Avoid frozen foods.

 

Ответ:

 

 

40

 

What message does the author express in the last paragraph?

 

 

1)	Look for pleasure in simple things.
2)	Learn to value meals.
3)	Learn how to cook.
4)	Home-made food is healthier.

 

Ответ:

 

 

 

 

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 41–47. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.