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

1. Born to be wild
2. Comparing the two species
3. The evolution of bison
4. The history of taming
5. A beautiful place to be saved
6. Reasons to domesticate cows
7. Failed attempts to protect
8. Safer than before, but not enough

A. It is likely that the modern European bison arose from the steppe bison. Recent research says it appeared as a result of an interbreeding event between the steppe bison and the ancestor of modern cows around 120,000 years ago. At one point, some steppe bison crossbred with the ancestors of the modern yak. After that, a population of steppe bison crossed the Bering Land Bridge to North America. Then the steppe bison spread through the northern parts of North America, where it lived until around 8,000 years ago.

B. The Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve is one of the smallest in Russia. It covers an area of 4,960 hectares on the terraces of the Oka River valley. This is a unique area with its natural diversity of pine and mixed forests, small rivers, streams and marshes. Here you can observe the life of animals and birds in their natural habitat. The symbol of the reserve is a bison. This is a wild forest bull, which was recently on the verge of extinction. Bison youngsters grown up to two years in the reserve are sent to replenish free-living populations.

C. Though the American and European bisons are close relatives, it is easy to spot clear differences in their behaviour and build. Adult European bisons are slimmer in build and have longer legs. European bisons tend to graze less and walk around more than their American relatives. This difference in behaviour is reflected in their build. The American bison’s head hangs lower than the European’s does. American bisons are more easily tamed than their European cousins are. They also breed with domestic cattle more readily.

D. American bisons are known for living on the Great Plains. Bisons were hunted close to extinction during the 19th and 20th centuries, but have since rebounded. The European bison owes its survival, in part, to the Chernobyl disaster. Ironically, the Chernobyl Zone has become a kind of wildlife preserve, though poaching has become a threat in recent years. The American Plains bison is no longer listed as endangered, but this does not mean the species is safe. Their fragmented herds call for active conservation measures.

E. In the middle of the 19th century people started realising how important the buffalo was. Reasons for that included not only animal cruelty, but also ecological and future resources. Someone needed to speak out, and over the years they did, but never enough at one time to count. The real extermination of the buffalo was caused by the demands of trade, aided by hunters and Indians. However, the blame really lies with the government, which in all those years permitted a few ignorant Congressmen to block the laws protecting these animals.

F. There have been several attempts to tame the buffalo, but there are a few things that stand in the way. The buffalo is very aggressive by nature; it can run up to 40 mph and can jump vertically in the air almost their entire height. Imagine trying to teach an angry, prancing sedan to stay still and respect you. All that said, there have been instances of domestic buffalo. This is possible if they are raised from calves to be only with humans. Even then, they seem to be loyal and friendly with a small set of humans, not all humans.

G. At about the same time they domesticated plants, people in Mesopotamia began to domesticate animals for meat, milk, and hides. Hides were used for clothing, storing things and for building tent shelters. Goats were probably the first animals to be domesticated, followed closely by sheep. Later, people began domesticating larger animals, such as oxen or horses, for ploughing and transportation. These are known as beasts of burden. The easiest animals to domesticate are herbivores that graze on grass, because they are the easiest to feed.

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 History Museum The State History Museum is the largest historical museum in Russia. It is situated at the northern end of Red Square in the heart of Moscow. What once was the Principal Medicine Store now houses a huge collection ___ (A) the Stone Age. It was founded in 1872 and opened to the public in 1883. The museum is housed in a neo-Russian style building, ___ (B). It is one of the most prominent buildings in Red Square. Each room is in the style of a different period or region. The walls in some rooms are decorated in the style of Russian churches.

The impressive collection of the State History Museum includes relics of prehistoric tribes ___ (C) present-day Russia. The exhibits about medieval Russia are excellent. Several rooms of this period cover the Mongol invasions ___ (D).

The 2nd floor is dedicated to the Imperial period. The exhibits include personal items of the royal family members, furniture and decoration from the palace interiors. There are also various pieces of artworks and documents from the era. Specific rooms are dedicated to the reigns of various tsars. An unexpected highlight is an exhibition ___ (E) by examining the growing network of roads and how people travelled in the past. The State History Museum has also the country’s largest coin collection, the 6th-century manuscripts and artworks ___ (F) during their reign.

1. which is an attraction in its own right
2. that once inhabited the big territory of
3. and cave paintings of prehistoric times
4. and the consolidation of the Russian state
5. covering Russian history since the time of
6. that were collected by the Romanov dynasty
7. addressing the expansion of the Russian Empire

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. ⇓

Peska taught
1) drawing.
2) Italian.
3) English.
4) politics.

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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. ⇓

Peska impressed people by being
1) well-built.
2) well-mannered.
3) strange.
4) ill-mannered.

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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. ⇓

Peska tried to become a true Englishman because he
1) was thankful to the country that had adopted him.
2) enjoyed Englishman's pastimes and amusements.
3) loved the way the English did athletic exercises.
4) was fond of the eccentric fashions of the English.

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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. ⇓

‘… risk his limbs blindly’ means Peska
1) didn’t look where he went.
2) was unaware of danger from others.
3) caused a problem for others.
4) acted rather thoughtlessly.

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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. ⇓

The author didn't look after Peska carefully because
1) they both had been engaged in the peculiar English exercise.
2) foreigners were generally bathing not far from the shore.
3) the author was sure that Peska would learn swimming on the spot.
4) the author was sure that Peska was a very good swimmer.

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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. ⇓

Peska wanted to do the author some favour as
1) it was in his warm nature.
2) the author had saved his life.
3) the author was his best friend.
4) he wanted to look English.

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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. ⇓

Peska managed to
1) change the author’s life completely.
2) become English to the core.
3) meet a woman who later directed his life.
4) turn his existence into a new channel.