Тест 124. Чтение. ЕГЭ 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. Gender disproportion
2. A woodland country
3. An extreme climate
4. One expression, different attitudes
5. A good purchase
6. A popular holiday
7. The biggest of all
8. Moving in a circle

A. The scale of Russia is difficult to imagine. That is excellent for travelers because that means there is plenty to explore. The total landmass of Russia is 6,601,665 square miles. That is equal to 11% of the world’s total landmass! Based on the total landmass, Russia is the largest country in the world – nearly twice as big as Canada. It is the world’s second-largest nation as it covers all northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe. It shares land borders with more than a dozen countries, and shares sea borders with Japan and the United States.

B. There is a big difference between the male and female population in Russia. While females in Russia make up 54% of the population, males only make up 46%. Why is there such a big difference in the population? The population gap began during World War II when 25 million Russian soldiers died during the war. Moreover, men have a much shorter lifespan than women do. Many Russians live in rural communities where the way of life is harsh and Russian men often fall victim to hunting accidents, or health care issues.

C. One of the best Russian facts is that Russians learn not to smile while growing up. While smiling in many cultures is a sign of happiness and friendliness, Russians don’t view it that way. To Russians, smiling is a sign of weakness and not showing one’s true feelings. Russians do smile at people they know well and care about, but not at strangers as many other cultures do. If you smile at a Russian on the street, don’t expect them to smile back. However, we found that many Russians smiled and waved back when we were in Russia.

D. Folk dancing is an important part of Russian history and Russian culture. Russians perform folk dances at festivals, markets, and in the theater. Khorovod is one of the most common types of Russian folk dancing. This style of dance consists of people dancing together and holding hands. Khorovod is performed in the following way: women stand in a round and move from east to west, as the Sun goes across the sky. Foreign visitors have noticed that Khorovod reflects some traits of Russian character, such as enthusiasm, creativity, and joy of living.

E. Russia has a lot of trees. If you are someone that loves nature, this is a fact you will enjoy. Around 20% of all the trees in the entire world are in Russia. That ends up being around 640 billion trees. About 45% of the country is covered by trees, much of it in Russia’s boreal forest, or taiga, located in remote areas of Siberia. They are part of wild, untouched forests that are too cold to travel to. These thick forest regions were once completely under glaciers and are now home to a whole load of brave species, including the Siberian tiger, wild boars, eagles, and owls.

F. Because Russia has harsh winter conditions, it is probably no surprise that Russia is home to the coldest village in the world. While winters there average -58 degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest recorded temperature in Oymyakon is -96 degrees Fahrenheit. Living in these harsh temperatures comes with its fair share of disadvantages. For example, if someone tries to wear glasses outside, the glasses will freeze on their face. Also, cars have to stay in heated garages, or the engines will not start. If you decide to visit Oymyakon, be sure to pack for winter.

G. In 1897, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for only 7.2 million dollars. With inflation, that is around 120 million dollars today. At the time, critics thought that Secretary of State William H. Seward who agreed to buy Alaska was crazy. But Seward had wanted to do it for a long time. Alaska is so large that the addition of this land increased the size of the U.S. by nearly 20 percent. Major discoveries of gold were made there in the 1880s and 1890s. These discoveries brought attention and people to Alaska.

A	B	C	D	E	F	G

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2) Прочитайте текст и заполните пропуски A — F частями предложений, обозначенными цифрами 1 — 7. Одна из частей в списке 1—7 лишняя.

State Darwin Museum Charles Darwin was an English naturalist. He found that all species of life ___ (A) and worded out the scientific theory. According to it, evolution happens because of a process that is called natural selection.

The museum, like every prominent social and cultural event, has an individual initiative as its basis. The State Darwin Museum was ___ (B) and persuasion from A.F. Kots, a young Russian scientist who was very fond of Darwin. It was ___ (C) Higher Women’s Courses. It was the first museum of biological evolution and natural history in the world. Today the State Darwin Museum is ___ (D) three buildings with the total area more than 20 000 sq.m.

There are more than 5,000 items occupying the three floors of the museum. One of the most impressive sections has dinosaur models, presented with a fabulous dinosaur soundtrack. The museum ___ (E) the living world. It has a large display, which shows the variety of wildlife on earth, with animals from all climatic zones from the North Pole to the South.

One of the largest collections at the museum is the bird collection, which ___ (F) birds of paradise.

1. had evolved from common ancestors
2. built in Moscow in 1907, under pressure
3. showing most of the endangered species found in
4. the largest museum of natural science that occupies
5. established as an educational museum at the Moscow
6. presents a complete scientific picture of the evolution of
7. consists of many exotic species, including hummingbirds and

A	B	C	D	E	F

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3) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

How teaching English on my year abroad improved my French I began my year abroad in Paris as an intern at a publishing house, earning €2.70 an hour for menial work. I’d hoped to be able to soak up French in a real-life setting, but was constantly writing emails and making calls in English, with little free time for learning my second language. I soon realised the only thing I’d really learned was how to use a document-binding machine. Luckily, I’d taken an intensive English-teaching course in London the previous summer, which helped me find a new job with a language school.

Students planning their years abroad might worry about teaching English. It seems counterintuitive – you go to another country to learn the language and end up speaking your mother tongue. But in my experience, it can be a rewarding job and is perhaps even the best way to immerse yourself in another culture and learn the language. Ellen Rothnie, a student at the University of Glasgow, who has recently returned from two years in Spain, agrees. She says: “The feeling of integrating is so special. I wanted to improve my Spanish and was astounded by how much I did. I noticed a difference within a month.”

So, what struck me most about teaching English, was the potential for improving my French. Teaching your own language gives you a broader insight into language-learning – you see what works and what doesn’t. Among my students, I encountered a full range of abilities – speakers of near-native fluency and those who could barely string together a simple English phrase. I noticed what held my weakest students back – too much focus on writing down notes, crippling shyness and fear of making mistakes, and the other extreme – overconfidence, speaking at length and carelessly repeating the same errors. I saw how my best students learned – by being chatty and enthusiastic, and by watching hours of Anglo-American TV and films in their spare time. Trying to follow their example, I studied French thrillers and reality shows, picking up slang and colloquialisms, which helped me get by in everyday conversations.

Rothnie also found that teaching English helped with her Spanish. “My students often didn’t know what I considered to be basic expressions involving prepositions, such as ‘run out’, or ‘left over’,” she says. “Then I realised that in Spanish there is usually a separate, single equivalent verb which, before my year abroad, I probably didn’t know either.” At university, language teachers often tell students to avoid directly translating English phrases word-for-word, but it’s only when you’re interacting with native speakers in another country that you grasp the common expressions and idioms. This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language.

Teaching English can also give you the chance to socialise with native speakers, as Amy Stewart, a student at the University of Strathclyde, found on her year abroad in Tenerife. As a British Council assistant, she became friendly with her fellow teachers and even went to stay at the family home of a Spanish colleague. Despite her concerns about living in a hotspot for Anglophone tourists, Stewart improved her Spanish by taking part in language exchanges with locals. You need to be proactive too, she says: “If you go looking for areas that aren’t quite as touristy, then you’ll find them.”

Ultimately, the success of your year abroad is down to your own efforts – but maybe there’s something about teaching that gives you a certain motivation. After all, when you’ve been telling your students to knuckle down and practise vocabulary in their spare time, you feel like a hypocrite if you don’t do the same.

What kind of work had the author been doing before she started teaching?
1) Exciting.
2) Skilled.
3) Routine.
4) Unusual.

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4) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

How teaching English on my year abroad improved my French I began my year abroad in Paris as an intern at a publishing house, earning €2.70 an hour for menial work. I’d hoped to be able to soak up French in a real-life setting, but was constantly writing emails and making calls in English, with little free time for learning my second language. I soon realised the only thing I’d really learned was how to use a document-binding machine. Luckily, I’d taken an intensive English-teaching course in London the previous summer, which helped me find a new job with a language school.

Students planning their years abroad might worry about teaching English. It seems counterintuitive – you go to another country to learn the language and end up speaking your mother tongue. But in my experience, it can be a rewarding job and is perhaps even the best way to immerse yourself in another culture and learn the language. Ellen Rothnie, a student at the University of Glasgow, who has recently returned from two years in Spain, agrees. She says: “The feeling of integrating is so special. I wanted to improve my Spanish and was astounded by how much I did. I noticed a difference within a month.”

So, what struck me most about teaching English, was the potential for improving my French. Teaching your own language gives you a broader insight into language-learning – you see what works and what doesn’t. Among my students, I encountered a full range of abilities – speakers of near-native fluency and those who could barely string together a simple English phrase. I noticed what held my weakest students back – too much focus on writing down notes, crippling shyness and fear of making mistakes, and the other extreme – overconfidence, speaking at length and carelessly repeating the same errors. I saw how my best students learned – by being chatty and enthusiastic, and by watching hours of Anglo-American TV and films in their spare time. Trying to follow their example, I studied French thrillers and reality shows, picking up slang and colloquialisms, which helped me get by in everyday conversations.

Rothnie also found that teaching English helped with her Spanish. “My students often didn’t know what I considered to be basic expressions involving prepositions, such as ‘run out’, or ‘left over’,” she says. “Then I realised that in Spanish there is usually a separate, single equivalent verb which, before my year abroad, I probably didn’t know either.” At university, language teachers often tell students to avoid directly translating English phrases word-for-word, but it’s only when you’re interacting with native speakers in another country that you grasp the common expressions and idioms. This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language.

Teaching English can also give you the chance to socialise with native speakers, as Amy Stewart, a student at the University of Strathclyde, found on her year abroad in Tenerife. As a British Council assistant, she became friendly with her fellow teachers and even went to stay at the family home of a Spanish colleague. Despite her concerns about living in a hotspot for Anglophone tourists, Stewart improved her Spanish by taking part in language exchanges with locals. You need to be proactive too, she says: “If you go looking for areas that aren’t quite as touristy, then you’ll find them.”

Ultimately, the success of your year abroad is down to your own efforts – but maybe there’s something about teaching that gives you a certain motivation. After all, when you’ve been telling your students to knuckle down and practise vocabulary in their spare time, you feel like a hypocrite if you don’t do the same.

Counterintuitive in Paragraph 2 most probably means …
1) illogical.
2) worrying.
3) unproductive.
4) easy.

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5) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

How teaching English on my year abroad improved my French I began my year abroad in Paris as an intern at a publishing house, earning €2.70 an hour for menial work. I’d hoped to be able to soak up French in a real-life setting, but was constantly writing emails and making calls in English, with little free time for learning my second language. I soon realised the only thing I’d really learned was how to use a document-binding machine. Luckily, I’d taken an intensive English-teaching course in London the previous summer, which helped me find a new job with a language school.

Students planning their years abroad might worry about teaching English. It seems counterintuitive – you go to another country to learn the language and end up speaking your mother tongue. But in my experience, it can be a rewarding job and is perhaps even the best way to immerse yourself in another culture and learn the language. Ellen Rothnie, a student at the University of Glasgow, who has recently returned from two years in Spain, agrees. She says: “The feeling of integrating is so special. I wanted to improve my Spanish and was astounded by how much I did. I noticed a difference within a month.”

So, what struck me most about teaching English, was the potential for improving my French. Teaching your own language gives you a broader insight into language-learning – you see what works and what doesn’t. Among my students, I encountered a full range of abilities – speakers of near-native fluency and those who could barely string together a simple English phrase. I noticed what held my weakest students back – too much focus on writing down notes, crippling shyness and fear of making mistakes, and the other extreme – overconfidence, speaking at length and carelessly repeating the same errors. I saw how my best students learned – by being chatty and enthusiastic, and by watching hours of Anglo-American TV and films in their spare time. Trying to follow their example, I studied French thrillers and reality shows, picking up slang and colloquialisms, which helped me get by in everyday conversations.

Rothnie also found that teaching English helped with her Spanish. “My students often didn’t know what I considered to be basic expressions involving prepositions, such as ‘run out’, or ‘left over’,” she says. “Then I realised that in Spanish there is usually a separate, single equivalent verb which, before my year abroad, I probably didn’t know either.” At university, language teachers often tell students to avoid directly translating English phrases word-for-word, but it’s only when you’re interacting with native speakers in another country that you grasp the common expressions and idioms. This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language.

Teaching English can also give you the chance to socialise with native speakers, as Amy Stewart, a student at the University of Strathclyde, found on her year abroad in Tenerife. As a British Council assistant, she became friendly with her fellow teachers and even went to stay at the family home of a Spanish colleague. Despite her concerns about living in a hotspot for Anglophone tourists, Stewart improved her Spanish by taking part in language exchanges with locals. You need to be proactive too, she says: “If you go looking for areas that aren’t quite as touristy, then you’ll find them.”

Ultimately, the success of your year abroad is down to your own efforts – but maybe there’s something about teaching that gives you a certain motivation. After all, when you’ve been telling your students to knuckle down and practise vocabulary in their spare time, you feel like a hypocrite if you don’t do the same.

Ellen Rothnie was surprised by how …
1) fast she became part of Spanish culture.
2) deep her experience was.
3) many classes she had to teach.
4) far she progressed in learning Spanish.

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6) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

How teaching English on my year abroad improved my French I began my year abroad in Paris as an intern at a publishing house, earning €2.70 an hour for menial work. I’d hoped to be able to soak up French in a real-life setting, but was constantly writing emails and making calls in English, with little free time for learning my second language. I soon realised the only thing I’d really learned was how to use a document-binding machine. Luckily, I’d taken an intensive English-teaching course in London the previous summer, which helped me find a new job with a language school.

Students planning their years abroad might worry about teaching English. It seems counterintuitive – you go to another country to learn the language and end up speaking your mother tongue. But in my experience, it can be a rewarding job and is perhaps even the best way to immerse yourself in another culture and learn the language. Ellen Rothnie, a student at the University of Glasgow, who has recently returned from two years in Spain, agrees. She says: “The feeling of integrating is so special. I wanted to improve my Spanish and was astounded by how much I did. I noticed a difference within a month.”

So, what struck me most about teaching English, was the potential for improving my French. Teaching your own language gives you a broader insight into language-learning – you see what works and what doesn’t. Among my students, I encountered a full range of abilities – speakers of near-native fluency and those who could barely string together a simple English phrase. I noticed what held my weakest students back – too much focus on writing down notes, crippling shyness and fear of making mistakes, and the other extreme – overconfidence, speaking at length and carelessly repeating the same errors. I saw how my best students learned – by being chatty and enthusiastic, and by watching hours of Anglo-American TV and films in their spare time. Trying to follow their example, I studied French thrillers and reality shows, picking up slang and colloquialisms, which helped me get by in everyday conversations.

Rothnie also found that teaching English helped with her Spanish. “My students often didn’t know what I considered to be basic expressions involving prepositions, such as ‘run out’, or ‘left over’,” she says. “Then I realised that in Spanish there is usually a separate, single equivalent verb which, before my year abroad, I probably didn’t know either.” At university, language teachers often tell students to avoid directly translating English phrases word-for-word, but it’s only when you’re interacting with native speakers in another country that you grasp the common expressions and idioms. This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language.

Teaching English can also give you the chance to socialise with native speakers, as Amy Stewart, a student at the University of Strathclyde, found on her year abroad in Tenerife. As a British Council assistant, she became friendly with her fellow teachers and even went to stay at the family home of a Spanish colleague. Despite her concerns about living in a hotspot for Anglophone tourists, Stewart improved her Spanish by taking part in language exchanges with locals. You need to be proactive too, she says: “If you go looking for areas that aren’t quite as touristy, then you’ll find them.”

Ultimately, the success of your year abroad is down to your own efforts – but maybe there’s something about teaching that gives you a certain motivation. After all, when you’ve been telling your students to knuckle down and practise vocabulary in their spare time, you feel like a hypocrite if you don’t do the same.

Which habit of less successful students is NOT mentioned in the text?
1) They do not monitor their speech.
2) They are too dependent on what they write down.
3) They refuse to speak out of fear of errors.
4) They do not practise outside the classroom.

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7) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

How teaching English on my year abroad improved my French I began my year abroad in Paris as an intern at a publishing house, earning €2.70 an hour for menial work. I’d hoped to be able to soak up French in a real-life setting, but was constantly writing emails and making calls in English, with little free time for learning my second language. I soon realised the only thing I’d really learned was how to use a document-binding machine. Luckily, I’d taken an intensive English-teaching course in London the previous summer, which helped me find a new job with a language school.

Students planning their years abroad might worry about teaching English. It seems counterintuitive – you go to another country to learn the language and end up speaking your mother tongue. But in my experience, it can be a rewarding job and is perhaps even the best way to immerse yourself in another culture and learn the language. Ellen Rothnie, a student at the University of Glasgow, who has recently returned from two years in Spain, agrees. She says: “The feeling of integrating is so special. I wanted to improve my Spanish and was astounded by how much I did. I noticed a difference within a month.”

So, what struck me most about teaching English, was the potential for improving my French. Teaching your own language gives you a broader insight into language-learning – you see what works and what doesn’t. Among my students, I encountered a full range of abilities – speakers of near-native fluency and those who could barely string together a simple English phrase. I noticed what held my weakest students back – too much focus on writing down notes, crippling shyness and fear of making mistakes, and the other extreme – overconfidence, speaking at length and carelessly repeating the same errors. I saw how my best students learned – by being chatty and enthusiastic, and by watching hours of Anglo-American TV and films in their spare time. Trying to follow their example, I studied French thrillers and reality shows, picking up slang and colloquialisms, which helped me get by in everyday conversations.

Rothnie also found that teaching English helped with her Spanish. “My students often didn’t know what I considered to be basic expressions involving prepositions, such as ‘run out’, or ‘left over’,” she says. “Then I realised that in Spanish there is usually a separate, single equivalent verb which, before my year abroad, I probably didn’t know either.” At university, language teachers often tell students to avoid directly translating English phrases word-for-word, but it’s only when you’re interacting with native speakers in another country that you grasp the common expressions and idioms. This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language.

Teaching English can also give you the chance to socialise with native speakers, as Amy Stewart, a student at the University of Strathclyde, found on her year abroad in Tenerife. As a British Council assistant, she became friendly with her fellow teachers and even went to stay at the family home of a Spanish colleague. Despite her concerns about living in a hotspot for Anglophone tourists, Stewart improved her Spanish by taking part in language exchanges with locals. You need to be proactive too, she says: “If you go looking for areas that aren’t quite as touristy, then you’ll find them.”

Ultimately, the success of your year abroad is down to your own efforts – but maybe there’s something about teaching that gives you a certain motivation. After all, when you’ve been telling your students to knuckle down and practise vocabulary in their spare time, you feel like a hypocrite if you don’t do the same.

This knowledge in Paragraph 4 (“This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language”) refers to the knowledge of …
1) Spanish equivalents of English verbs.
2) translation techniques and strategies.
3) words and phrases used in everyday speech.
4) communicative strategies native speakers use.

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8) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

How teaching English on my year abroad improved my French I began my year abroad in Paris as an intern at a publishing house, earning €2.70 an hour for menial work. I’d hoped to be able to soak up French in a real-life setting, but was constantly writing emails and making calls in English, with little free time for learning my second language. I soon realised the only thing I’d really learned was how to use a document-binding machine. Luckily, I’d taken an intensive English-teaching course in London the previous summer, which helped me find a new job with a language school.

Students planning their years abroad might worry about teaching English. It seems counterintuitive – you go to another country to learn the language and end up speaking your mother tongue. But in my experience, it can be a rewarding job and is perhaps even the best way to immerse yourself in another culture and learn the language. Ellen Rothnie, a student at the University of Glasgow, who has recently returned from two years in Spain, agrees. She says: “The feeling of integrating is so special. I wanted to improve my Spanish and was astounded by how much I did. I noticed a difference within a month.”

So, what struck me most about teaching English, was the potential for improving my French. Teaching your own language gives you a broader insight into language-learning – you see what works and what doesn’t. Among my students, I encountered a full range of abilities – speakers of near-native fluency and those who could barely string together a simple English phrase. I noticed what held my weakest students back – too much focus on writing down notes, crippling shyness and fear of making mistakes, and the other extreme – overconfidence, speaking at length and carelessly repeating the same errors. I saw how my best students learned – by being chatty and enthusiastic, and by watching hours of Anglo-American TV and films in their spare time. Trying to follow their example, I studied French thrillers and reality shows, picking up slang and colloquialisms, which helped me get by in everyday conversations.

Rothnie also found that teaching English helped with her Spanish. “My students often didn’t know what I considered to be basic expressions involving prepositions, such as ‘run out’, or ‘left over’,” she says. “Then I realised that in Spanish there is usually a separate, single equivalent verb which, before my year abroad, I probably didn’t know either.” At university, language teachers often tell students to avoid directly translating English phrases word-for-word, but it’s only when you’re interacting with native speakers in another country that you grasp the common expressions and idioms. This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language.

Teaching English can also give you the chance to socialise with native speakers, as Amy Stewart, a student at the University of Strathclyde, found on her year abroad in Tenerife. As a British Council assistant, she became friendly with her fellow teachers and even went to stay at the family home of a Spanish colleague. Despite her concerns about living in a hotspot for Anglophone tourists, Stewart improved her Spanish by taking part in language exchanges with locals. You need to be proactive too, she says: “If you go looking for areas that aren’t quite as touristy, then you’ll find them.”

Ultimately, the success of your year abroad is down to your own efforts – but maybe there’s something about teaching that gives you a certain motivation. After all, when you’ve been telling your students to knuckle down and practise vocabulary in their spare time, you feel like a hypocrite if you don’t do the same.

Which proverb summarises the main idea of Paragraph 5?
1) Where there is a will, there is a way.
2) Actions speak louder than words.
3) Better late than never.
4) Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

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9) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

How teaching English on my year abroad improved my French I began my year abroad in Paris as an intern at a publishing house, earning €2.70 an hour for menial work. I’d hoped to be able to soak up French in a real-life setting, but was constantly writing emails and making calls in English, with little free time for learning my second language. I soon realised the only thing I’d really learned was how to use a document-binding machine. Luckily, I’d taken an intensive English-teaching course in London the previous summer, which helped me find a new job with a language school.

Students planning their years abroad might worry about teaching English. It seems counterintuitive – you go to another country to learn the language and end up speaking your mother tongue. But in my experience, it can be a rewarding job and is perhaps even the best way to immerse yourself in another culture and learn the language. Ellen Rothnie, a student at the University of Glasgow, who has recently returned from two years in Spain, agrees. She says: “The feeling of integrating is so special. I wanted to improve my Spanish and was astounded by how much I did. I noticed a difference within a month.”

So, what struck me most about teaching English, was the potential for improving my French. Teaching your own language gives you a broader insight into language-learning – you see what works and what doesn’t. Among my students, I encountered a full range of abilities – speakers of near-native fluency and those who could barely string together a simple English phrase. I noticed what held my weakest students back – too much focus on writing down notes, crippling shyness and fear of making mistakes, and the other extreme – overconfidence, speaking at length and carelessly repeating the same errors. I saw how my best students learned – by being chatty and enthusiastic, and by watching hours of Anglo-American TV and films in their spare time. Trying to follow their example, I studied French thrillers and reality shows, picking up slang and colloquialisms, which helped me get by in everyday conversations.

Rothnie also found that teaching English helped with her Spanish. “My students often didn’t know what I considered to be basic expressions involving prepositions, such as ‘run out’, or ‘left over’,” she says. “Then I realised that in Spanish there is usually a separate, single equivalent verb which, before my year abroad, I probably didn’t know either.” At university, language teachers often tell students to avoid directly translating English phrases word-for-word, but it’s only when you’re interacting with native speakers in another country that you grasp the common expressions and idioms. This knowledge allows you to become more fluent in a language.

Teaching English can also give you the chance to socialise with native speakers, as Amy Stewart, a student at the University of Strathclyde, found on her year abroad in Tenerife. As a British Council assistant, she became friendly with her fellow teachers and even went to stay at the family home of a Spanish colleague. Despite her concerns about living in a hotspot for Anglophone tourists, Stewart improved her Spanish by taking part in language exchanges with locals. You need to be proactive too, she says: “If you go looking for areas that aren’t quite as touristy, then you’ll find them.”

Ultimately, the success of your year abroad is down to your own efforts – but maybe there’s something about teaching that gives you a certain motivation. After all, when you’ve been telling your students to knuckle down and practise vocabulary in their spare time, you feel like a hypocrite if you don’t do the same.

Which idea is expressed in Paragraph 6?
1) Teaching is not effective without motivation.
2) The teacher should have a learning experience similar to their students’.
3) One understands a language better when they teach it.
4) Vocabulary exercises are central to language teaching.

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