Reading comprehension
Life on a Desert Island
Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island. We sometimes imagine a desert island to be a sort of paradise where the sun always shines. Life there is simple and good. Ripe fruit falls from the trees and you never have to work. The other side of the picture is quite the opposite. Life on a desert island is wretched. You either starve to death or live like Robinson Crusoe, waiting for a boat that never comes. Perhaps there is an element of truth in both these pictures, but few of us have had the opportunity to find out.
Two men who recently spent five days on a coral island wished they had stayed there longer. They had been taking a badly damaged boat from the Virgin Islands to Miami to have it prepared. During the journey, their boat began to sink. They quickly loaded a small rubber dinghy (ռետինե նավակ) with food, matches, and tins of beer and rowed for a few miles across the Caribean until they arrived at a tiny coral island. There were hardly any trees on the island, and there was no water, but this did not prove to be a problem. The men collected rainwater in the rubber dinghy. As they had brought a spear gun with them, they had plenty to eat. They caught lobster and fish every day, and, as one of them put it “ate like Kings.” When a passing tanker rescued them five days later, both men were genuinely sorry that they had to leave.
Choose the right answers to the questions
1.Most of us have formed an unrealistic picture of life on a desert island because..
a) we have read the dreadful story of Robinson Crusoe
b) hardly any of us have ever stayed on a desert island.
c) we are too pessimistic or optimistic.
2. They had been taking a badly damaged boat to Miami
a) to repair it as there were a lot of useful tools there.
b) to present it to a boat repairer.
c) to have it repaired.
3. They quickly loaded food, matches, and other emergency goods on their rubber dinghy as
a) their boat became completely good for nothing during the journey.
b) they had reached their destination.
c) they had got tired of doing nothing at all and wanted to row the dinghy.
II. Ways of talking about the future.
- Do not marry that girl. -I will marry her. (will)
They will probably reject our proposal. (prediction)
I promise I will help you when I get my salary. (promise)
I think I will manage to do this work. (opinion)
To be going to do something is used when we want to express intention (մտադրություն)
I am going to study English thoroughly for my future job.
Present Continuous is used when we an arrangement (պայմանավորվածություն)
-Will you join us in the afternoon? We are going to play tennis.
-No, I can’t. I am meeting a friend of mine in the afternoon.
Task I.
Complete the sentences with the correct future form.
- I am sure (there is) a lot of people at the party. prediction
- Now you are jobless. What you (to do). intention
- We (visit) our grandparents next weekend. arrangement
- He wants to become a doctor. That’s why he (to study) biology very well. intention
- What have you planned for the coming weekend. – I haven’t planned anything. Maybe, I (to stay) at home and read the book I boorrowed from the library yesterday. prediction, opinion
- You haven’t done anything this month. I think you (to fail) the exam. – I (to prepare) for it very well. You you (to see). Prediction, promise
- I (to see) my doctor at 1o’clock pm. arrangement
III. Limits of our knowledge
From First Certificate PassKey
In recent years a lot of publicity has been given to the problem of global warming caused by the so-called greenhouse effect.
It is worth pointing out, however, that not all scientists agree about the causes of warming or, indeed, if it is happening at all. Moreover, it is important to remember that reliable records have only existed for 130 years, which is a very short period in climatic terms. While this has been a particularly warm decade, we know that there have been other warm, and cold, periods in history, although we have no precise records about them.
In other words, recent changes in the climate could be explained by natural variations.
Besides the lack of convincing evidence, there is a tendency for this type of issue to get too much publicity and to become fashionable, which, in my opinion, does not help the scientists. Science is about making calculations and predictions and building up theories that must be tested, and often only time will tell us the real answer.
So, bearing this in mind, it is important to be aware of the possible consequences of problems like global warming, but it is also necessary to remain realistic about the nature of scientific research and the limits of our knowledge.
Useful expressions in essay writing
It is worth pointing out, however, that … Այնուամենայնիվ, արժե նշել, որ …
indeed – իսկապես
Moreover, it is important to remember that …–Դեռ ավելին, կարևոր է հիշել, որ …
while – այս նախադասության մեջ՝ նույնիսկ չնայած
in other words — այլ կերպ ասած
Besides the lack of convincing evidence …- Բացի այն բանից, որ չկա համոզիչ վկայություն …
There is a tendency for this type of issue … միտում կա
in my opinion – իմ կարծիքով
So, bearing this in mind …but … also – Այսպիսով, հաշվի առնելով սա … բայց նաև
Write an essay using the above-mentioned expressions in bold type.
The topic is this: “To be or not to be. To struggle against what is evil or to pretend that you do not see anything bad and everything is good?”
Առաջադրանքը կատարել են՝
Ջուլիետա Պապիկյանը – նոյեմբերի 24-ին: Պատասխանել եմ նույն օրը:
Մարիա Ազնաուրյանը – նոյեմբերի 26-ին: Պատասխանել եմ նույն օրը:
Հայկ Խաչատրյանը – նոյեմբերի 25: պատասխանել եմ 26-ին: Գերազանց աշխատանք էր:
Հրակ Քոսպեքեանը – նոյեմբերի 29-ին: Պատասխանել եմ նույն օրը:
Միքայել վարդանյանը – նոյեմբերի 25-ին: Պատասխանել եմ 30-ին:
Արամ հովհաննիսյանը – նոյեմբերի 28-ին: Պատասխանել եմ 30-ին:
Գոհարինե Ազնաուրյանը – նոյեմբերի 30-ին: Պատասխանել եմ դեկտեմբերի 2-ին:
Մանե Հովհաննիսյանը – դեկտեմբերի 2-ին: Պատասխանել եմ նույն օրը: