1) Установите соответствие между заголовками 1 — 8 и текстами A — G. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. The Special Day of the Union
2. Rich in languages
3. The Aims of the Union
4. Famous for its Economic Development
5. A Big Sports Event
6. The Union of Independent States
7. The Choice of the Former Colony
8. Literary Awards
A. The British Queen is Head of the Commonwealth (or the Commonwealth of Nations). This organization unites 53 countries, most of which are former British colonies. The countries of the Commonwealth can be found in Africa, Asia, Europe, in the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. Thirty-one of the members are small countries.
B. After the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games is the second largest sports festival in the world. Only members of the Commonwealth can participate. The Games are held once every four years but only in between the Olympic years. The first Commonwealth Games were held in 1930 in Hamilton, Canada. In the Commonwealth Games there are a total of 22 sports and seven para-sports.
C. Jamaica, an island country in the Atlantic Ocean, was the first colony England took by conquest. But it was also the first Caribbean nation to gain independence. This happened in 1962 but the country chose to remain a member of the British Commonwealth. Similar to Canada, Queen Elizabeth II remains the Queen of Jamaica but by tradition only.
D. Singapore is situated in Southeast Asia. It consists of one main island and 63 tiny islands. Most of these islands are deserted. Singapore is a city, the capital and the state at the same time. It is among the 20 smallest countries in the world. However, in spite of its small size, Singapore is the most highly developed nation in the Commonwealth.
E. All the countries of the Commonwealth use English as a common language. However, Cyprus recognizes two official languages: Greek and Turkish. Certainly most locals are able to speak English as the island was colonized by Britain in 1878 and didn’t get independence until 1960. The other languages spoken in the country are Armenian, Arabic, French and German.
F. Commonwealth Day is a day of celebration for all the countries of the Commonwealth. It is held on the second Monday in March every year. Each member of the Commonwealth of Nations celebrates it in its own unique way. In Great Britain a special service is held in Westminster Abbey in London. It is attended by the British Monarch as Head of Commonwealth who delivers a speech. The Monarch’s speech is broadcast throughout the Commonwealth.
G. In 1987, the Commonwealth Foundation set up two prizes for writers: the Commonwealth Book Prize and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. The first prize is awarded for the best book published in the previous year. It should be the writer’s first book. The second prize is given to the best piece of unpublished short fiction (2000-5000 words).