Тест 141. Чтение. ОГЭ по английскому языку


1) Установите соответствие между заголовками 1 — 8 и текстами A — G. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний.

1. A matter for dispute
2. Be careful crossing the street
3. Two languages in a tiny country
4. The head of state
5. Transit point
6. The underground city
7. Spreading the language
8. The guards of the British property

A. During the 17th and 18th centuries, British navigators sailed across the seas with the aim of extending Britain’s power and prosperity. They colonised new territories around the world, bringing their language with them. English was enforced as the official language of the new colonies, but often words from the local languages started to trickle into the English of the colonisers. This occurred most frequently where an equivalent word did not exist in English.

B. Gibraltar, colloquially known as The Rock, (or simply Gib), is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom sitting at the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea. The very small country is less than 7 square kilometres. It is bordered by Spain to the north, so the people of Gibraltar, who are British citizens, are naturally bilingual in English and Spanish. However, Gibraltar’s only official language is English.

C. The Gibraltar is of great strategic importance as it lies on the narrow stretch of water between Europe and Africa right at the point where the Mediterranean joins the Atlantic Ocean. The British recognised this and made Gibraltar a colony in 1713. Today, it is the only British possession in the Mediterranean. British possession of Gibraltar is a sore point with Spain, which borders it. But, as the Spanish say, “Whenever we talk about Gibraltar, the British talk about the weather or tea.”

D. The Strait of Gibraltar is the narrowest crossing point for birds migrating to and from Europe and Africa. The Rock offers favourable bird watching opportunities. In autumn, thousands of migrating birds stop off on their way between their breeding grounds in northern Europe and their wintering areas in Africa. In spring, they stop there again to feed before continuing their journeys to Western Europe, journeys that may take them as far as Greenland or Russia.

E. Tiny Gibraltar is most famous for its “apes” — tailless monkeys! There are about 160 monkeys living in Gibraltar, in two main areas. They often approach, and sometimes climb onto tourists. Watch out! They are still wild animals and can bite if frightened or annoyed. Legend states that, if the apes leave Gibraltar, Gibraltar will cease to be British. Feeding the Gibraltar macaques is punishable by a fine of £ 4,000!

F. Several planes arrive daily in Gibraltar from Europe and Africa. The airport is famous for the main access road to Gibraltar from Spain called Winston Churchill Avenue, which crosses the runway and closes for each arrival and departure of the planes. When a plane is using the airport runway, cars and pedestrians have to wait on either side, rather like a railway crossing! It is often ranked as one of the most dangerous airports in the world, but actually has an excellent safety record.

G. In 1940, Britain was at war with Germany and Italy and the future looked gloomy for Gibraltar as the enemy surrounded it. The British military leaders believed that an attack on Gibraltar would be fatal for it. They decided to construct a 32 mile-long network of tunnels, to build a fortress inside a fortress, a city within a city. In May 2005 the World War II Tunnels were opened to the general public. Now anyone can walk through this amazing testament to the soldiers and civilians who worked hard inside the Rock during the War.

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