Reading Comprehension

Task 1.
Read the text and answer the questions below briefly (1-10 words). Max: 15p

Penny Black – the turbulent history of the short-lived stamp

It has become a stamp collector's holy grail: the little black stamp that made post affordable for
an ordinary Victorian. But the Penny Black, which first went on sale in London, had a troubled
birth. Before the Penny Black only the very rich could afford to use the post. Until 1840, letters
were charged by the number of sheets written upon and the distance travelled to send them – and
the recipient, rather than the sender, had to pay. Victorians made their correspondence as efficient
as possible: writing both horizontally and vertically on a page, but it was clear something needed
to be done.
James Chalmers, a printer suggested a solution of pre-paid postage stamps in 1822, but it took
another 15 years for MP Robert Wallace to imagine an envelope, of a standard size, which would
carry the stamp. Two years later, treasurer Roland Hill announced a competition to find the
designer of envelopes and stamps: 2,600 entries were submitted.
The Post Office believed – incorrectly – that people would prefer to buy letter sheets or envelopes
which prepaid the postage, rather than buy stamps and find their own envelopes and paper. So
Hill decided to run with an envelope and stamp designed by artist William Mulready. Mulready's
stamped lettersheet was perhaps a better idea than reality: an elaborate "poetic" design inspired
by the country's empire, with a figure of Britannia and a lion in the middle, but it inspired so
many caricatures that it had to be withdrawn.
More successful was the stamp – for a while, at least. Its depiction of Queen Victoria was drawn
from a sketch that artist William Wyon made of the Queen when she was 15. Victoria was 21 in
1840, but engraver Henry Corbould still used this reference for the stamp.
Along with the fine border work and stars in the corners, the Penny Black didn't feature “Great
Britain”, as Queen Victoria was synonymous with the nation at this time. Instead, the word
"Postage" differentiated it from the revenue stamps that had been used for decades. Both that and
the price, One Penny, were printed on the new type of stamp.
Issued in sheets of 240 stamps, costing £1 sterling a sheet, although these were the first adhesive
stamps, perforation wasn't to arrive for 14 years. Instead, the person behind the counter in the
post office had to cut the stamps apart with scissors.
Ultimately, it was the reason for the stamp's name that marked its demise. The wonderfully
gloomy black ink easily disguised the red ink used to cancel stamps – this made them easy to
reuse. Within 12 months, the Treasury reprinted it as a red stamp, and changed the cancellation
stamp to have black ink. The Penny Red was born, but the Black remains the memorable – and
valuable – one.

Answer the questions briefly on the basis of the text. (1-10 words) Max: 15p

Example:
0) Who value the Penny Black especially high Nowadays? (0) stamp collectors

1) Why was the introduction of the Penny Black so important in the beginning? (1p)
2) Why was it more favourable to receive a letter after 1840? (1p)
3) How was the price for sending your letters calculated before the Penny Black? (1p)
4) How did people try to save money before the Penny Black? (1p)
5) Where did the idea of the envelope come from? (1p)
6) What was the first idea for the envelope? (1p)
7) How did people respond to those first versions? (1p)
8) How was Muready's idea received? (1p)
9) How was Queen Victoria portrayed on the stamp? (1p)
10) What happened to the award-winning design? (1p)
11) How was the Penny Black different from stamps of other nations? (1p)
12) What was the difference between the Penny Black and revenue stamps? (1p)
13) What was the task of the personnel at the post office and why? (1p)
14) Why did they stop using the Penny Black? (2X10 words) (2p)
Task 2
Read the text about credit cards. Write in the boxes on the answer sheet the letter of the
most suitable expression (A-M) that fits into the gap. There are two extra letters that
you do not need. There is an example (0) for you. Max. 10 p

The Invention of Credit Cards

Credit is a method of selling goods or services without the buyer having cash in hand. A credit
card is only an automatic way of offering credit to a consumer. Today, every credit card carries
an identifying number ___(0)____. Imagine what a credit purchase would be like without it,
the salesperson would have to record your identity, billing address, and terms of repayment.
The use of credit cards originated in the United States during the 1920s, when individual firms,
such as oil companies and hotel chains, began issuing them to customers. However, ___(1)___
had been made as far back as 1890 in Europe. Early credit cards involved sales directly between
the merchant offering the credit and the credit card, and ___(2)___. Around 1938, companies
started to accept each other's cards. Today, credit cards allow you to make purchases ___(3)___.
In 1950, the Diners Club issued their credit card in the United States. It was intended ___4___.
A customer could eat without cash at any restaurant that would accept these cards. Diners' Club
___(5)___ and the credit card holder would repay Diners' Club. This card was at first technically
a charge card rather than a credit card, since the customer had to repay the entire amount
___(6)___.
American Express issued their first credit card in 1958. Bank of America issued the
BankAmericard card later that year. Credit cards were first promoted to traveling salesmen (a
popular job in that era) for ___(7)___ . By the early 1960s, more companies offered credit
cards, advertising them ___(8)___ rather than a form of credit. They became huge successes
overnight.
By the mid-'70s, the U.S. Congress began regulating the credit card industry by banning such
practices as the mass mailing of active credit cards to those ___(9)___. However, not
all regulations have been as consumer friendly. In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court removed all
restrictions ___(10)___ a credit card company could charge.
A. as a time-saving device
B. to pay restaurant bills
C. use on the road
D. rather than selling directly
E. on the amount of late penalty fees
F. references to credit cards
G. that merchant's customer
H. that speeds shopping transactions
I. when billed by the card company
J. who had not requested them
K. with countless third parties.
L. would pay the restaurant
M. who could not afford one
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
H
 Writing

Task 1

Write a letter/e-mail of 170-220 words. Include each of the five points given.
Do NOT use your own name in your letter/e-mail.

Choose only one of the two topics.

You can use your printed dictionary. Maximum score: 15p

1. Your foreign friend has just informed you that he/she joined his/her first social media site
and is absolutely enthusiastic about it. He/She keeps posting family photos and sends
everybody friend requests. Write him/her an e-mail / letter in which you outline your
opinion about the issue.

Write about the following:

▪ How do you feel about it?

▪ Why do you (not) have a social media profile?
▪ What are the basic safety instructions one has to keep in mind?
▪ What is your own (or a friend’s) experience with it?
▪ What do you think about the future of these sites?

Or:

2. You have received an email / letter from your teenage friend (Dave) in which he
complains about his mother. His mother never leaves him alone, she has too high
expectations of him, always finds fault with everything and she thinks David hates her.
Write an e-mail / letter to Dave in which you outline your opinion about the issue.

Write about the following:

▪ How do you feel about the situation?

▪ Have you been in a similar situation, or have you heard other stories like that?
▪ What might be the causes of her behaviour?
▪ What you might be doing differently to ease the tensions if you were Dave?
▪ Give some advice how he and his mom can work things out.
Task 2

Read the comment and give your opinion about it in 100-130 words.
Maximum score: 10 points

You have just seen the following entry on the Internet:

If you want your kids to learn a foreign language at a very early age, let them watch cartoons.
Cartoons help you develop your listening skills. And you don’t have to worry about the
consequences of their spending too much time in front of the screen because it’s time well
spent.