Тексты для чтения по английскому языку, 10-11 класс

TEXT 1
Why Don’t More People Set Goals
If you are going to set and achieve a new goal, something in your life must change.
In today’s hectic, non-stop world we are all extremely busy. Time is a precious commodity and
(1)____. That means setting priorities and that is not easy. We understand that setting goals is
important. The media often shows us examples of people who have achieved great things
because they set and achieved their goals. So why don’t more people set goals?
Setting and achieving goals is not easy. If it were, more people would be doing it.
Setting priorities is the one step most goal-setting programs overlook. In order to free up time to
reach your new goal, you will have to reduce, alter or eliminate a current activity. Many goal-
setting programs give you the basics. These programs are good but without fully understanding
(2)____ many people will get sidetracked before reaching their goal.
Let’s say your goal is to go back to school and finish the education you were not able (3)____.
You want to start slowly, so you take two courses and you’ve figured the time commitment for
class and homework activities will be seven hours per week.
What part of your life will you change to reach your new goal? Where will you find those seven
hours? Will you watch less TV, see your friends less often, sleep less, spend fewer hours with
your family or eliminate a hobby you really enjoy, etc.? There are only so many hours in a day;
something has to be given up if you are sincere about (4)____.
Are you ready to make the necessary lifestyle changes to succeed? Are the people closest to you
willing to help you? Will they help you find the courage and determination to reach your new
goal? Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course
you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong.” There are always
difficulties arising that (5)____.
Setting and achieving goals is a wonderful and rewarding experience. It propels us forward in
life and challenges us to reach new, (6)____, heights. But, if it were easy, more people would be
doing it. Goal-setting is hard work. It means setting priorities and making some difficult choices.
George Matthew Adams said: “In this life we only get those things for which we hunt, for which
we strive, and for which we are willing to sacrifice.” 2
1. (6 баллов) Read the text above. Choose from (A-H) the one which best fits (1-6). There are
two choices you do not need to use.
A …tempt you to believe your critics are right
B …to complete earlier in your life
C …realistic, attainable goals
D …sometimes unimagined
E …accomplishing your new goal
F …the importance of setting priorities
G …sticking to those choices
H …there is simply not enough of it
1) H F B G A C
2) H F B E A D
3) D G B E A C
4) D F B G A D

TEXT 2
Summer Homework Should Be Banned
Some educators say that doing book reports and math equations help kids maintain
(1)__________ skills over the summer. But there’s no research proving that kids who don’t do
summer homework experience long-term learning loss. Chances are, you won’t forget
(2)__________ to compute fractions in a few months. You might be rusty (3)_________
September. But a quick review in class should bring you up to speed. If it doesn’t, you might not
have been taught the skill well enough.
Summer homework can also take away from the important learning that goes on outside of
school. This includes reading for pleasure, which helps you establish a lifelong love of books.
Play is also essential. It gives you an opportunity to master social skills, such (4)__________
teamwork, that will be key to your success as a working adult.
Read the text above. Fill in each gap with the word which best fits each space (1-4).
2. (1 балл) Possible words for (1):
1) they’re
2) there
3) their
4) then

3. (1 балл) Possible words for (2):

1) how
2) way
3) being
4) where
3
4. (1 балл) Possible words for (3):
1) on
2) in
3) at
4) after

5. (1 балл) Possible words for (1):

1) so
2) as
3) like
4) alike

TEXT 3
A Brain-Boosting Video Game
In the video game Tetris players try to pack as many shapes as possible into a small space.
According to a new study, that’s not all they’re doing.
It sounds like a joke, but the study uses serious science. A team of three researchers from
Canada and the United States scanned the brains of 15 adolescent girls, aged 12 to 15, who
played Tetris. The scans showed that after 3 months of playing the block-stacking game, grey
matter in the girls’ brains was thicker (grey matter is the wrinkly mixture of brain cells and
blood vessels responsible for processing information in the brain). Part of the thicker grey matter
was in a region of the brain near the top of the head. This area, called the parietal lobe, is
believed to be responsible for collecting information from the senses.
The study shows that “brain structure is much more dynamic than had been appreciated”, says
Richard Haier of the University of California, Irvine, one of the three scientists behind the study.
Haier says they studied girls’ brains because they typically spend less time playing video games
than boys.
For comparison, the scientists also scanned the brains of 11 girls who had not been playing
Tetris. They found no increase in the thickness of those girls’ grey matter – suggesting that
certain parts of the game-playing girls’ brains grew because the girls had played the video game.
The researchers didn’t stop there – they also did real-time brain scans of girls while they were
playing Tetris. For those scans, they used a technique called functional magnetic resonance
imaging, or fMRI. An fMRI tracks how blood moves through the brain, and allows scientists to
see which brain areas are being used.
These scans showed that in the brains of girls who played Tetris for three months, some parts of
the brain were being used less. The scientists don’t know why. Haier suggests that the drop in
activity may be due to the brain actually working more efficiently than before. “We’re not sure,
but we think the brain is learning which areas not to use,” Haier says. “As you learn the game, it
becomes more automatic.” The parts of the brain that got bigger over the course of three months
were not the same parts of 4
the brain that were being used less. This comparison hints that bigger is not always better: just
because a part of the brain gets bigger doesn’t mean that it’s working more efficiently.
“Understanding how the brain works is not easy,” says Haier. The scientists don’t know if the
brain changes due to Tetris will help a person learn new skills or have better memory. “We
know Tetris changes the brain,” Haier says. “We don’t know if it’s good for you.”
6. (2 балла) Scientists found a connection between playing Tetris and ____
1) the thickening of grey matter in the brain
2) the size of parts of the brain
3) the conditions of the brain cells
4) the thickness of the blood vessels in the brain

7. (2 балла) The scientists who were examining the girls’ brain knew that boys usually spend
____
1) more time playing video games than girls
2) less time playing video games than girls
3) as much time as girls who played video games
4) not so much time as girls who were accustomed to playing video games

8. (2 балла) The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging ____

1) to study how the girls were playing a game
2) to monitor the process of blood circulation through the brain
3) to study the process of the mental activity
4) to do a scanning of the parts of the brain

9. (2 балла) The word “it” in line 27 means ____

1) grey matter
2) brain
3) learning
4) game

10. (2 балла) The researchers aren’t sure whether the process of playing the video game Tetris
____
1) changes one part of the brain
2) helps the player to improve memory
3) modifies the brain
4) makes grey matter in the girl’s brain thicker