I. [Higher Probe] Phonetic tasks
1. Выберите ВСЕ варианты, в которых конечная буква e не произносится (silent e):
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2. Match the words and their transcriptions. Two transcriptions are extra.
- Cousin —
- Causin’ (colloquial “causing”) —
- Cozen (to cheat, deceive) —
- Cosine —
- Kazan —
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III. Reading on history.
1. Match the headings to the paragraphs and complete the missing words.
Two developments during Oliver Cromwell’s rule cast a long over Britain’s future: the seizure of Jamaica in 1655 and the return of Jews to England. Cromwell’s “Western Design,” aimed at the Spanish Caribbean, ended in failure on Hispaniola— but Jamaica, taken as a consolation prize, soon became the cornerstone of Britain’s Caribbean empire. His fierce anti-Spanish policy even drew him into alliance with Catholic France, proving that politics makes strange fellows.
Jews, expelled in 1290, had survived in England only by concealing their faith. By the mid-1600s, commercial hopes and millenarian expectations spurred calls for their return: some believed Jewish merchants could strengthen English trade; others thought their worldwide would hasten the world’s end.
Although Parliament never passed a law, Cromwell’s tacit approval allowed a small Jewish community to take in London—an early step toward England’s later tolerance of diversity.
Cromwell’s death in 1658 threw the Commonwealth into turmoil. His son Richard lacked both authority and charisma, and the regime collapsed like a house of . General George Monk, marching from Scotland, finally took the reins and set the stage for the restoration of monarchy under the Stuarts.
When Charles II returned in 1660, the nation breathed a sigh of relief. Maypoles reappeared, theatres reopened, and the joyless Puritan years faded into memory. Yet the new order came with attached: the Clarendon Code enforced Anglican uniformity, driving nearly two thousand ministers from their posts and creating a class of nonconformists. Enforcement remained uneven, and over time Anglicans, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Quakers learned—grudgingly—to live side by side.
Years of exile had made Charles a worldly monarch, fond of French taste, art, and politics. He even accepted subsidies from Louis XIV, turning England briefly into a French satellite in all but . His naval ventures against the Dutch met with mixed fortunes, but the capture of New York proved a lasting triumph.
Meanwhile, cultural life bloomed. Theatres flourished with women on stage for the first time; coffeehouses buzzed with gossip and debate; and the Royal Society (1662) ushered an age of discovery crowned by Isaac Newton’s revolutionary insights.
London’s optimism dimmed with the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666, yet the city rose again under Christopher Wren’s inspired rebuilding.
Later turmoil came not from flame or pestilence but from politics. The Exclusion Crisis (1678–81) split England between Whigs and Tories—the ancestors of today’s parties. While Whigs sought to bar the Catholic heir, James, the Tories stood by hereditary right. In the end, blood proved thicker than : on Charles’s death, his brother ascended the throne as James II, and the wheel of history turned once more.
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check the matching task
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check the gap-filling task
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2. Find a phrase in the text which means that something wasn’t entirely free or unconditional.
3. Rephrase the text above using the following emphatic and contrasting patterns:
IV. [Lomonosov] Analytical essay on a picture
1. Read the following analytical essay on a picture
Judging from the cover alone, this appears to be a magazine aimed squarely at teenagers, most likely girls, who were captivated by film and music idols of the late 1980s. The vivid, almost chaotic layout—filled with brightly colored captions, exclamation marks, and smiling young faces—suggests a publication devoted to pop culture rather than serious journalism. The tone is light, emotional, and highly personal, as if inviting the reader to enter the private world of their favorite stars.
The large central image of a youthful actor, along with smaller portraits of other attractive celebrities, hints that this magazine thrives on personality rather than substance. The headlines are phrased as tantalizing questions or confessions—“Why did Johnny Depp lock himself in his room?”—clearly designed to provoke curiosity and emotional involvement. The repeated use of first names only reinforces the illusion of intimacy between the reader and the stars.
Everything about the design seems to appeal to youthful enthusiasm: the bright pinks, yellows, and blues, the hand-written-style fonts, and the promise of “collectors’ kits” or “Hollywood trips.” This is not a publication meant to inform but to entertain, flatter, and excite. It feeds on daydreams of fame, friendship, and romantic closeness to people otherwise unreachable.
Therefore, one can reasonably conclude that this is a teen fan magazine, probably published in the United States at the height of 1980s pop culture. Its purpose was to sell not news, but fantasy—to give its readers, for a moment, the feeling that they truly belonged to the glittering world of their idols.
3. Note down word combinations used to examine the picture and make inferences.
4. Write your own analysis of the following periodical cover, making suppositions about its target audience and thematic focus.
Try to formulate your own text yourself first. Only look at the model above! Hard?
Hard to produce your own text? Click to see some active words
