27.04.

2020
Task 1. Read the text and answer the questions

A special meal
Milpa Alta is a region to the south of Mexico City. It has a famous volcano – Teuhtli – and twelve
villages and towns. Milpa Alta is also famous for a traditional meal every Christmas, called La
Rejunta. The meal is part of the Christmas celebrations and it feeds huge numbers of people. The
cooks make about sixty thousand tamales. Tamales are made from corn and have different fillings.
They also make about fifteen thousand litres of hot chocolate. They make all of this food and
drink in less than one week. The meal is one of the activities for people who go on a walk to the
cave of El Señor de Chalma. It’s an important place for people from the region at Christmas. The
cave is about eighty kilometres away and the walk begins on the 3rd of January. About 20,000
people go on the walk each year. That's 20,000 hungry people!
Every year, the organisers of the meal change. This year, Virginia Meza Torres and her husband
Fermín Lara Jiménez are the organisers, or majordomos. They waited for 14 years to do this. Lots
of people want to organise the meal because it’s a very important tradition. They put their names
on a list. At the moment, the list has names for every year until 2046.
The preparation for the meal takes a whole year. At the start of the year, men collect wood from
the forest. They store it near the home of the majordomos so that it will be dry and ready to use.
The wood burns in the fires that they use to cook the food. The farmers in the area grow the
ingredients for the meal, such as corn, meat and vegetables. Everything is natural; there’s no
ready-made food. Lots of volunteers help to cook and serve the meal.
Tradition is very important to the people of Milpa Alta, and one of the most important activities is
eating together. One woman, Josefina García Jiménez, says that sitting together at the table shows
love to your family. Everybody stays at the table after the meal finishes and they talk, tell stories
and laugh together. At Christmas, La Rejunta is like a huge family meal.

1. What is the article about?

a) a special tradition
b) a town in Mexico
c) farmers in Milpa Alta
2. What is La Rejunta?
a) a meal
b) a person
c) a place
3. Where is Milpa Alta?
a) in Mexico
b) in Mexico City
c) near Mexico
4. Which sentence is true?
a) People eat for a week at La Rejunta.
b) Twenty thousand people go to El Señor de Chalma.
c) People take their own food to La Rejunta.
5. At La Rejunta ...
a) there's food but no drink.
b) there's food and drink.
c) there's drink but no food.
6. Which sentence is true?
a) Virginia and Fermin are majordomos for the first time.
b) Virginia and Fermin got married 14 years ago.
c) Virginia and Fermin organise La Rejunta every year.
7. What do majordomos do?
a) cook the tamales
b) organise La Rejunta
c) pay for the food
8. Which sentence is true?
a) Only men prepare the food.
b) Some of the food comes from shops.
c) They cook the food on wood fires.
9. Which sentence is true?
a) Eating together is a tradition in Milpa Alta.
b) Josefina García Jiménez says her family loves her cooking.
c) Josefina García Jiménez’s family only eats together at Christmas.
 28.04.2020

Task 2. Read the text and answer the questions

Detroit
The American city of Detroit was like Paris, some people said. It had a big river, beautiful wide
streets and important buildings. Then, in the 20th century, it was called ‘Motor City’ because of
the number of car factories there. Workers in the car factories had good jobs and they earned good
money. It wasn’t unusual to own a home, a boat and even a holiday home. In the 1950s, new
highways were built and lots of people moved from the city centre to the suburbs. Life was good.
But at the beginning of the 21st century, Detroit became America’s poorest big city.
In a period of fifty years, more than half the people left Detroit. Houses and buildings were empty.
Poverty and crime increased. Plants and trees grew in the empty houses. What happened in
Detroit?
The city’s population fell for several reasons. One reason is people moved to the suburbs in the
1950s. Another reason is that in 1967 there were terrible riots. A lot of people were scared of
coming to the city. Also, the big car companies like General Motors and Chrysler had huge
problems. And in 2008, the world financial crisis had a big effect on many cities, especially
Detroit. Now, a lot of people in Detroit are poor. Half of the city’s families have less than 25,000
dollars a year.
In 2013, the city of Detroit was bankrupt. It was the biggest bankrupt city in American history.
But then something began to change. It was a new beginning for the city. It had some money to
improve small things like lights in the streets and so people felt safe. The police came quickly
when there were problems. Old, empty buildings were demolished. There is now space for new
buildings. And there are new businesses too. The city gave 10,000 dollars to 30 new small
businesses. Now there are grocery stores, juice bars, coffee shops and even bicycle makers.
Finally, the city is working again.
Glossary
suburbs (n) the areas where people live outside of a town or city, away from the centre
poverty (n) the state of being very poor
riot (n) violent actions by a large group of angry people
demolish (v) to destroy a building
bankrupt (adj) not able to pay money that you owe

1. In the city of Detroit, ...

a)things are better than before.
b)things are the same as before.
c)things are worse than before.
2. In Detroit, ...
a)a lot of people are very poor.
b)a lot of people are very rich.
c)a lot of people are very scared.
3. People thought Detroit was ...
a)better than Paris.
b)bigger than Paris.
c) similar to Paris.
4. There were a lot of car factories ...
a)in Detroit.
b)in Paris.
c) in Paris and Detroit.
5. Some people in Detroit ...
a) had two cars.
b)had two houses.
c)had two jobs.
6. At the end of the 20th century ...
a)lots of people moved away from Detroit.
b)many people came to live in Detroit.
c)people moved into empty houses in Detroit.
7. Which statement is true?
a)Detroit had a number of problems.
b)Detroit’s biggest problem was crime.
c)There was one big problem in Detroit.
8. Which statement is true?
a)In 2008, half of the people in Detroit were poor.
b) Lots of cities had problems in 2008.
c)The car factories closed in 2008.
9. After 2013, which of these things happened?
a)The city had no money.
b)The streets were safer.
c)There were problems with the police.
10. Which sentence describes Detroit today?
a)New businesses are opening.
b)There are 30 grocery stores.
c)There are no empty buildings.
 29.04.2020
Text 3. Read the text and answer the questions
Raven Steals the Light

In the beginning there was no light in the world, because an old magician kept it hidden in a box
inside his house. Raven, who was always hungry, didn’t like the darkness because it was difficult
to find food. One day he was looking for food near the old magician’s house. He heard a voice
saying, “I have a box, and inside this box is another box, and inside this there is another box, and
inside the smallest box is all the light in the world.” Raven decided to steal the light.
Raven waited until the old man’s daughter went down to the river to collect water. Just as she was
dipping her basket into the river, he changed himself into a *hemlock needle. The needle floated
into her basket. When the girl drank some water, she swallowed Raven too.
Inside the girl’s belly Raven took the form of a human baby. He grew and grew, and in time she
gave birth to a funny looking child with black eyes and a big nose. The old man loved his
grandson so much that he gave in to the child’s every wish. Raven became spoilt and greedy. He
was bored with all his toys, and wanted to play with the box that held the light. Finally, the
grandfather opened the box and tossed the glowing ball of light to Raven.
As soon as Raven caught the light, he immediately changed into his bird form. Holding the light
in his beak, he flew up the chimney hole into the dark world. The magician was angry. He wanted
to get the light back into his box. He flew after Raven.
The light was heavy in Raven's beak, and he was getting tired. The magician was coming closer.
Raven broke off some pieces of the light and threw them into the sky. They became the stars. The
magician was still coming closer, so Raven broke off another piece of the light and threw it into
the sky. It became the moon. Finally, Raven became so tired that he tossed the last and biggest
piece of the light into the sky. It became the sun; and that is how daylight came to the world.
*hemlock needle - the needle-shaped leaf of an evergreen tree

1. Why was the world dark in the beginning?

A. It was midnight.
B. There was no sun and moon.
C. An old magician kept the light.
2. Where did the magician keep the light?
A. in a hole in the ground
B. in a box in his house
C. in a basket in a tree
3. Why didn't raven like the darkness?
A. He couldn't see where he was going.
B. It was difficult to find food.
C. He couldn't see colours.
4. What did Raven decide to do?
A. steal the light.
B. marry the magician's daughter.
C. hide inside the magician's box.
5. What did Raven change himself into?
A. a baby human
B. a hemlock tree
C. a hemlock needle
6. The magician's daughter gave birth to a ...
A. a strange-looking human baby
B. a raven
C. a hemlock needle
7. How did the old magician treat his grandson?
A. He gave in to the child's every wish.
B. He was kind but strict.
C. He taught the baby how to be a good person.
8. What kind of child did Raven become?
A. kind and generous
B. spoilt and greedy
C. polite and shy
9. How did Raven get the light?
A. The box broke and the light fell out.
B. He took it when the grandfather wasn't looking.
C. The grandfather opened the box and gave it to him.
10. What did Raven do when he had the light?
A. He cried," I have the light!"
B. He ran through the forest.
C. He flew up the chimney hole.
11. Why did the magician fly after Raven?
A. He wanted to get the light from Raven.
B. He wanted to win the race.
C. He wanted to help Raven.
12. How did the stars, moon, and sun get into the sky?
A. Raven said," Let there be light."
B. The light was too heavy, so Raven broke off some pieces and threw them into the sky.
C. The light fell out of Raven's beak and broke into pieces.

30.04.2020
Text 4. Read the text about a circus, then answer the questions below.

The Rodriguez Brothers Circus is in town! Every year, the circus arrives and stays for a week.
Then they go to the next town. There are not many animals in the circus. People told the circus
that they didn't like seeing animals performing. There is an elephant called Jacob and two old
lions, Hattie and Meg. Most of the performers are human! There is Leopold, The Strongest Man
In The World. His father also worked in the circus, but Leopold is stronger than him, he has
bigger arms and bigger legs too! Leopold performs his act every night for the town's people who
come to watch. Another performer is Clara. She says she has the longest hair in the world. It's
about 4 metres long! She also has a daughter who works in the circus. Her name is Sue-Ellen. Her
hair is a lot shorter, but she wants to grow it as long as her mother's. Sue-Ellen helps look after the
animals and she's also learning how to juggle. The highlight of the circus are the three clowns, Pit,
Pot and Pat. They all wear long red shoes, but Pat's shoes are the longest and sometimes, he falls
over because they're so long! They perform for about twenty minutes and they are always the
most popular act with the audience, especially the children. Many people think Pit, Pot and Pat are
three brothers, but Pat is older than the other two - he's their father! He's the oldest clown in the
country, but he has a lot of energy. Tomorrow will be the longest day because the circus is leaving
town and everything must be packed away into big trucks.

1. The circus comes to the town twice a year.

True
False
2. There are not many animals in the circus.
True
False

3. People don't come to the circus because of the animals.

True
False

4. Leopold and his father work in the circus together.

True
False

5. Leopold's father is the strongest.

True
False

6. Clara's hair is longer than her daughter's hair.

True
False

7. Sue-Ellen wants to be a clown in the circus.

True
False

8. Pit is the father of the other two clowns.

True
False

9. The three clowns wear identical shoes.

True
False

10. Everyone is very tired on the day that the circus leaves town.
True
False