2025 Практикум ЕГЭ по английскому языку. Раздел "Чтение". Задание № 10

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. Party dessert 2. Outdoor game 3. Taking care of a pet 4. Collecting things 5. Giving a party 6. Party animals 7. Fun on the way 8. Party game A. Ask your parents for permission to have a party. Decide what kind of party you want and whether it will be held indoors or outdoors. Send written invitations to your friends. Tell them what kind of party you are having, at what time, where, and whether or not the guests should wear costumes. Make a list of games you would like to play. Ask your mother to help you prepare refreshments. Ice cream, cake, cookies, and lemonade are good for any party. B. This activity makes everybody laugh. Have the guests sit around the room. Choose one person to be a pussycat. The pussy must go over to a guest and do his/her best to make the guest laugh. He/she can make funny meows and walk around like a cat. The pussy goes from one guest to another until someone laughs. The first one to laugh becomes the new pussy. C. It’s easy to make a cake from a cake mix that you get from the grocery store. You usually add only water or milk. Cake mixes come in many flavours, such as chocolate, lemon, banana, vanilla and others. When you make a cake from a mix, always follow the directions on the package carefully. Then you can be sure that your cake will turn out right and your guests will enjoy it. Many mixes have a small envelope of powdered frosting hidden inside the flour. D. As you ride on a bus with your friends, get someone to start singing. Everyone joins in. At the first crossroad, another person starts a different song, and everyone joins in. Keep changing songs at every crossroad. E. Looking after cats is easy. They wash themselves every day and eat almost any food. Cats like to drink milk and cream. But they need to be fed on fish, beef, liver, and other kinds of meat. They need a clean, dry bed at night. You can use a basket or a cardboard box for your cat’s bed. Cats like to play with a rubber ball or chase a string. F. You can have a whole army of toy soldiers made of tin, wood or plastic. Some may be dressed in fancy uniforms, some may be sitting on horses. Others may be ready for battle, carrying guns and shoulder packs. You can have soldiers from other countries, or only Civil War soldiers or only modern soldiers. If you get two soldiers that are alike, trade your extra soldier with another toy soldier lover. G. Even animals get involved in elections. The donkey and elephant have been political symbols in the USA for more than 100 years. Why? In 1828, Democrat Andrew Jackson ran for president. Critics said he was stubborn as a donkey. The donkey has been the symbol of the Democratic Party ever since. In the 1870s, newspaper cartoonists began using the elephant to stand for the Republican Party.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. The wrong goal 2. Extra-curricular over load 3. Too much homework 4. Arguably helpful 5. Too stressful 6. Too many distractions 7. A better system 8. Poor co-ordination A. My problem with homework is that I am rather fond of TV and computer games. Every evening after school it is the same. I start with the highest intentions. I’ll just play one round of Final fantasy and then begin. But it tends to be three rounds and then tea time. Oh — and then my favourite program begins in 10 minutes so I’ll start after that. And so it goes on. Probably I lack motivation. B. It is so much faster doing homework these days. All our assignments can be done on the PC which means correcting and changing things is so easy. But of course the Internet is the biggest shortcut of all. Maybe it’s true what they say that it stops you reading textbooks. You get snatches of information rather than the whole story. Maybe I should try to use the internet less. C. I am a drummer and a pianist. The school really encourages this and I have two one hour lessons a week plus one to two hours daily practice. I am in the basketball team. The school encourages this and we practice twice a week. I got picked to be in the school play. Rehearsals are two hours a week. Will somebody please tell me when I am supposed to get my homework done? D. Exam practice, constant revision, exam techniques and how to get the highest possible grade— is this what education is supposed to be about? The school seems obsessed with grades and the school results league table. We are currently 17th highest achievers in England but if we really try hard this year we might make top 10. Silly me! I thought education was about learning and preparing for adult life. E. For some kids exams bring more pressure than they can cope with. They worry about what their parents will say, not to mention what their teachers or classmates will think. No wonder some of them freeze up in the exam hall and are unable to write anything out of sheer nerves. F. Why do they do it? We get three weeks in a row with minimal homework and then every teacher in the school sets a massive assignment to be completed “by next Friday — no late submissions”. Why don’t they get together and try and even the load? G. I think Continuous Assessment is a very sensible idea. Education should not simply be about slick exam performance, but about overall how you perform in school — how you study, how much you read, how logical and clear your essay arguments are. 50% of our final grading should be based on course work. I think it is fair.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. Naturally different 2. Big age difference 3. Different opinions 4. Different ambitions 5. Small differences 6. No difference at all 7. Different rules 8. Learning to be different A. John and James are identical twins but they don’t go to the same school. Their parents felt this would help them develop individual tastes, interests and styles-but the boys at first hated the idea. Now they are really happy at their schools but occasionally they swap places just for fun! The brothers are best friends but they now agree that their parents were probably correct. B. Anna and Beth are twin sisters but they are most unlike each other. Technically they are “non-identical” twins. Anna is blonde and Beth is a brunette. Anna is noisy, energetic and always crashing around to hip hop and rap. Beth is much quieter and likes listening to classical music and reading. Anna eats anything and Beth is a vegetarian. But they are, absolutely, the closest and best of friends. C. The Perkins children, Sally and John, both study hard every evening after college and most weekends. Sally studies French, history and Art. She plans to go to university in Paris and wants to either work in a museum or an art sale room. John studies the Russian language, business studies and maths. He wants to study in St. Petersburg and to set up his own import business. I am sure both will succeed. D. Greg’s dad believes that there is no original, exciting new music being written and performed today. Greg strongly disagrees and can name several new bands and singers that are both completely original and really popular. But his Dad is a professional musician and was quite successful when he was young. He argues that nearly every successful song now is simply a reworked version of an older one. E. In the UK you can legally do different things depending on your age. You can vote for a new government at 18 but at 17 you cannot drink a beer. At 16 you can marry and become a parent but you cannot drive to your wedding or make a traditional toast! Meanwhile lots of bars and clubs are open only to people above 21 which means, married, voting, car driving parents could still be too young to enter. F. Serious stamp collectors are men and women who appreciate details. To the casual observer, the oldest postage stamps in the world — the Victorian “Penny Blacks” — all look identical. Millions were made but only a few of them are truly valuable. A serious collector knows this and the ability to find tiny variations in the paper, ink or code used helps them to find the “Penny Black’s” that are rare and valuable. G. Dina Ruiz has Japanese and black ancestry on her father’s side of the family and English, Welsh and German on her mother’s. She was born in California and married her husband, actor Clint Eastwood, in Las Vegas. When she first met Eastwood, she was 28 and he was 63. She is most famous as a TV news “anchor” and is Chair of The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. Training the mind 2. Welsh roots 3. Quick reaction 4. Chemistry in tennis 5. Too fast 6. Losing control 7. Unexpected prize 8. Ads with wings A. By now Wimbledon has become a popular national festival, together with Ascot and the Cup Final. Many people in Britain don’t know that tennis was first played in Wales. It was there, in 1873, that Major Walter Wingfield played a game with the recently invented rubber balls and enjoyed it so much, that he decided to develop the standards of the game. He published the first book of tennis rules later that year. The first Wimbledon championship was held a few years later in 1877 and the British Lawn Tennis Association formed in 1888. B. Good mental preparation is necessary for professional tennis players. In a long match they can be on the court for several hours with nobody to talk to. There can be hundreds of stops from the crowd, their opponent and, especially at Wimbledon, the rain. Players need to practice methods for improving their concentration and for motivating themselves when the game is going against them. They are often taught to imagine some situations, such as a tense tie-break. Then they imagine what to do with it. C. Many players find it impossible to stay calm in the stressful situation of a long tennis match and let their temper out. John McEnroe was famous for his quarrels with referees. Several players have been given warnings for throwing the racket or swearing. Some players lose matches they could easily win because their mind lets them down. Pat Rafter said that he couldn’t breathe in his 2000 Wimbledon final. The stress of being near the victory can be too much for a person. D. The power of today’s tennis game is only partly created by the athletes themselves. Much of it comes from their rackets. New designs mean players can hit the ball with more speed and accuracy than ever before. It started in the 1970s when the traditional wooden racket was replaced with metal. Since then different materials have been used. Graphite has made the biggest influence. Now the graphite can be mixed with materials such as boron and titanium to produce even stronger, and lighter, rackets. E. Speed isn’t always a good thing. Many fans are complaining that the speed of the game is making tennis boring to watch. After two years of testing, a new ball has now been invented which could slow down tennis and make it more exciting to watch. The ball is put together in exactly the same way as the one used now, but is 6% larger in diameter. The bigger ball gives the receiver 10% more reaction time in which to return the serve. So the number of aces — serves in a match that the receiver fails to return — will be far fewer. F. When Irishman John Boland travelled to Athens for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, he had no idea he would return home with the gold medal in tennis. But then, he had no idea he would compete either — he went to watch the competion. In comparison, today’s Olympic tennis players include some of the best athletes in the world. They are used to five-star hotels and hundreds of thousands of dollars, but at the Olympic Games they will stay in the Olympic Village and compete for nothing but a gold medal. G. The Wimbledon tennis tournament is famous for pigeons that sometimes come flying on to Centre Court and stop the game. So, producers of a video tennis game designed for PlayStation2 decided to use specially trained homing pigeons, decorated with the game’s logo. Twenty birds will be spray-painted with the Virtual Tennis logo and trained to fly in and out of the home of British tennis during the matches of the Wimbledon championship. The advertising pigeons will go straight for the fans and show their logos to them.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. For parents and friends 2. Radiation threat 3. Threat for kids 4. Feeling of safety 5. Mobile future 6. Mobile booking office 7. New language 8. SMS to premier A. Mobile phones use ‘radio waves’ to send signals. Since the 1920s, scientists have known that radio waves can cause the heating of the skin and influence the nervous system. But mobile phones don’t produce many radio waves. Still children should be especially careful about mobile phone use because their nervous system may be hurt. Children should only use mobiles for short calls. B. It is known that the strength of radio wave radiation decreases with distance. It suggests that hands-free sets may be effective in avoiding all the dangers of mobile phones. But another study described an increase in radiation that reached the user of a hands-free set. It says that the cable of the hands-free set acted as an antenna, directing more radio waves into the user’s ear. C. Train passengers will soon be able to buy tickets on their mobile phone. Chiltern Railways plans to sell tickets through mobile phones. The new technology sends a code to a mobile phone in a text message, which passengers can then scan at the station ticket barrier. It’s hoped the method will make buying tickets easier for passengers and help fight against queues at stations. D. Many parents now use mobiles to control their children’s behaviour. It gives parents peace of mind and makes young people feel protected. Parents say that young people are safer with mobiles than without them. But, while parents said they liked to call their children on the mobile to actually hear their voice, young people liked to send text messages to parents. E. A research showed that those young people who have a mobile feel more independent and often use it to plan meetings both relatives and peers. In particular, young people often use mobiles to ask their parents if they can come home later. The study showed that girls more often text parents to let them know they were safe than boys. They also use text messaging for socializing purposes. F. It is not only parents who want to connect with young people through mobile technologies. Nowadays politicians and different organizations look for ways to use text messaging as a channel for communication with the young. In late 2004, the UK government offered people the opportunity to ‘text Tony’. People were invited to send a text question to the prime minister to be answered as part of a ‘mobile chat’. G. The popularity of text messages led to the development of a special system of words or ‘chat speak’. For example, acronyms, that are words made from the first letters of other words, are often used both in online chatrooms and text messages sent to your mobile phone. This ‘chat speak’ is very popular with children who are fast at texting. Parents might be interested to know that ‘PAW’ means ‘parents are watching’!

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. Musical performance 2. Attractive landscape 3. Perfect holidays 4. Portrait of a girl 5. Film for all ages 6. Exciting hobby 7. Colourful festival 8. Interesting book A. This is a full-length (ninety minutes) cartoon, which is entertaining for both adults and children over six. The animation and colour are of very high quality and the story has lots of fun and excitement. The plot is quick moving and full of surprises. There’s romance, action, comedy, music and lots of fantastic songs and dances. B. This is a full-blooded magnificently written portrait of history’s most fascinating woman. Readers will lose themselves for hours in this richly entertaining novel full of dramatic twists and turns. From the spectacular era that bears her name comes the spellbinding story of Elizabeth I — her tragic childhood, her confrontation with Mary, Queen of Scots and her brilliant reign. C. The young woman is shown in a “shepherdess” hat and white dress, recalling a classical chiton. The background landscape, common in such paintings, seems to indicate the heroine’s closeness to nature, to the ordinary joys of life. The painter’s colour range — at times as translucent as porcelain, at others muted like mother -of- pearl — is based upon subtle plays of gray and green, light blue and pink. D. In this picture one is struck by the artist’s absolute mastery in portraying natural details, whether the dry, sandy soil of the forest, the clear stream of water in the foreground, the yellow bark and fluffy needles of the pines, or the sense of a bright, clear, calm summer day. The artist managed to create an image familiar to anyone who has seen a Russian forest. E. Have a good time on the most lively and exciting island in the Caribbean. Relax under a palm tree on the white sandy beaches. Swim in the clear, blue sea. Listen to the bands playing Calypso music. Or get really adventurous and go scuba diving for sunken treasure on the sea bed. Join in the many cultural celebrations we offer, for example the sugar harvest festival. F. This event is considered the greatest attraction for visitors to the Isle of Man. No definite date can be given, but it is normally held between 5th and 15th July. The Pageant begins at about 8 p.m. First we are given a glimpse of village life in Celtic times. Then suddenly Viking long ships appear and then there are scenes of war. Then Celts and Vikings unite, and the Manx nation is born. The actual Pageant is followed by a grand torchlight procession and firework display. G. Do you like Latin American dancing? Do you want to dance like you see in the films and on the stage? Do you want to feel the rhythm of the music in your body and in your soul? Do you want to meet other people who have a love for the same music as you? If you have answered “Yes” to any of these questions, join our Latin dance classes on Thursday night between seven and ten. All are welcome.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. Water requirements 2. Growing conditions 3. Health benefits 4. Apple picking 5. Managing the weight 6. A popular variety 7. Some historical facts 8. All around the world A. You don’t have to be a nutritionist to realize that apples are healthy. Not only do they come in their own packaging — meaning you can eat the skin – they are also full of healthy nutrients. The healthy reasons to eat them are endless. For example, apples are full of vitamin C. Almost half of an apple's vitamin C content is just under the skin, so it's a good idea to eat apples with their skin. B. Much research has shown that high fruit and vegetable intake is linked with protection against obesity. While apples provide high levels of important nutrients and antioxidants, they’re also low in calories since a high percentage of their volume is water and fiber. Because they have a good dose of dietary fiber, apples can satisfy people’s sweet tooth without weighing them down or adding to food cravings. Indeed, when added to other smart ways to shed pounds, people can lose weight fast with the help of apples. C. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe. They first grew in Turkey and are considered to be perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated by humans! The fruit of the apple tree has been improved through selection over thousands of years, resulting in the many varieties and tastes we have available today. They were originally brought to North America by European colonists during the 17th century and have been a staple of the American diet ever since. D. About 69 million tons of apples are grown worldwide every year! China produces almost half of this total each year on average, followed by the United States (the second-leading producer), Turkey, Italy, India, and Poland. Hundreds of varieties of apples are in existence today, with skins that range in colour from bright red to yellow, green, pink, or bi- or three-coloured patterns. They also come in a range of different tastes and levels of sweetness. E. This variety was originated in New Zealand. The Royal Gala strain was named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, who deemed it her favourite during a visit to New Zealand. It was brought to the United States in the early 1970s and is now one of the country’s most popular apples. Crisp, juicy, and very sweet, Gala is ideal for snacking. Galas can vary in colour, from cream to red- and yellow-striped. The apples are harvested beginning in mid-July and are typically available year round. F. The apple is a tree that grows in all temperate zones. Apples grow best where it is cold in winter, summer temperatures are moderate and the humidity is medium to high. Apples can grow from 10 to 30 feet tall and nearly as wide. Apples grow moderately fast, but the growth slows with age. Apple trees can live for 100 years or more. Apple trees bloom in spring, set fruit, and take from 100 to 200 days to reach harvest depending on the variety. G. Apples come to harvest from midsummer through late fall. The best way to know if apples are ready for harvest is to taste them. Apples are usually ready for harvest when they reach full colour; full colour may vary according to the variety. During harvest time a recreational activity occurs in areas with apple farms. Apple orchards are opened to the public, allowing consumers to pick their own apples, or purchase pre-picked apples. Although this is a method of purchasing apples, it is often a social activity as well.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. Useful Invention 2. US Younger Generation 3. Modern Branch of Industry 4. Historical Separation 5. Verbal Misunderstanding 6. Britain, the World Empire 7. All in One 8. Old Enough A. For 150 years America was a British colony. At that time British and American English were almost exactly the same. When America won the War of Independence in 1776, it became a free country. The USA was quickly growing richer, and millions of Europeans came to settle here. They brought new words and expressions to the language. As a result, English in America began to develop in its own way and today, there are certain differences in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and spelling between American and British English. B. Typical American teenagers are in fact very ordinary. They think their teachers make them work too hard, they love their parents but are sure they don’t understand anything, and their friendships are the most important things in their lives. Some of them do have a lot of money to spend, but usually they have earned it themselves. Most young people take jobs while they are in school. They work at movie theatres, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, and stores to pay for their clothes and entertainment. Maybe this is what makes them so independent from their parents at such a young age? C. Is it possible to have one device with the functions of a TV-set, a PC and the Internet? With the advent of Internet TV it has become a reality. Imagine watching a film on TV and getting information on the actors in the film at the same time! To enter web-addresses and write e-mails you use a remote control and an on-screen keyboard or an optional wireless keyboard. By clicking a button, you can also read adverts, ‘chat’ with a friend, plan your holiday and play your favourite video games. And in the future you’ll be able to change the plot of the film you are watching! D. When do you stop being a child and become an adult? There are lots of laws about the age when you can start doing things. In Britain, for example, you can get married at 16, but you cannot get a tattoo until you are 18. In most American states you can have a driving licence at 17, but you cannot drink until you are 21. In Russia you can be put to prison when you are 16, but you cannot vote until you are 18. In fact, most European countries and the US have the same age for voting: 18. Many people, however, think that this is unfair. They would like to vote at an earlier age. E. Blue jeans were a by-product of the Gold Rush. The man who invented jeans, Levi Strauss, emigrated from Germany to San Francisco in 1850. Levi was 20 years old, and he decided to sell clothes to the miners who were in California in search of gold. When he was told that durable trousers were the most needed item of clothing, Levi began making jeans of heavy tent canvas. Levi’s jeans were an immediate success. Soon he switched from canvas to a cotton fabric which came from Nimes, a city in France. The miners called it ‘denim’ and bought a lot of trousers from Strauss. F. Some fifty years ago people hadn’t even heard of computers, and today we cannot imagine our life without them. Computer technology is now the fastest-growing industry in the world. The first computer was the size of a minibus and weighed a ton. Today, its job can be done by a chip the size of a pinhead. And the revolution is still going on. Very soon we’ll have computers that we’ll wear on our wrists or even in our glasses and ear-rings. Such wearable computers are now being developed in the USA. G. Some American words are simply unknown on the other side of the Atlantic, and vice versa. But a lot of words exist in both variants, and these can cause trouble. British visitors to America are often surprised at the different meanings that familiar words have acquired there. If an Englishman asks in an American store for a vest, he will be offered a waistcoat. If he wants to buy a handbag for his wife, he should ask for a purse, and if she wants to buy a pair of tights, she should ask for pantyhose: tights in America are what ballet dancers wear.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. A taste of everything 2. Shop till you drop 3. City’s tourist attractions 4. Ancient traditions live on 5. Activities for the adventurous and hardy 6. On the crossroads of religions 7. For the body, mind and soul 8. From the high peaks to the deep seas A. Today Jakarta has much to offer, ranging from museums, art and antique markets, first class shopping to accommodations and a wide variety of cultural activities. Jakarta’s most famous landmark, the National Monument or Monas is a 137m obelisk topped with a flame sculpture coated with 35 kg of gold. Among other places one can mention the National museum that holds an extensive collection of ethnographic artifacts and relics, the Maritime Museum that exhibits Indonesia’s seafaring traditions, including models of sea going vessels. B. Sumatra is a paradise for nature lovers, its national parks are the largest in the world, home to a variety of monkeys, tigers and elephants. Facing the open sea, the western coastline of Sumatra and the waters surrounding Nias Island have big waves that make them one of the best surfer’s beaches in Indonesia. There are beautiful coral reefs that are ideal for diving. For those who prefer night dives, the waters of Riau Archipelago offer a rewarding experience with marine scavengers of the dark waters. C. Various establishments offer professional pampering service with floral baths, body scrubs, aromatic oils, massages and meditation; rituals and treatments that use spices and aromatic herbs to promote physical and mental wellness. Various spa hotels are extremely popular. Indonesians believe that when treating the body you cure the mind. D. Jakarta has a distinctly cosmopolitan flavor. Tantalize your taste buds with a gastronomic spree around the city’s many eateries. Like French gourmet dining, exotic Asian cuisine, American fast food, stylish cafes, restaurants all compete to find a way into your heart through your stomach. The taste of Indonesia’s many cultures can be found in almost any corner of the city: hot and spicy food from West Sumatra, sweet tastes of Dental Java, the tangy fish dishes of North Sulawesi. E. In the face of constant exposure to modernization and foreign influences, the native people still faithfully cling to their culture and rituals. The pre-Hindu Bali Aga tribe still maintains their own traditions of architecture, pagan religion, dance and music, such as unique rituals of dances and gladiator-like battles between youths. On the island of Siberut native tribes have retained their Neolithic hunter-gathering culture. F. Whether you are a serious spender or half hearted shopper, there is sure to be something for everybody in Jakarta. Catering to diverse tastes and pockets, the wide variety of things you can buy in Jakarta is mind boggling from the best of local handicrafts to haute couture labels. Modern super and hyper markets, multi-level shopping centers, retail and specialty shops, sell quality goods at a competitive price. Sidewalk bargains range from tropical blooms of vivid colors and scents in attractive bouquets to luscious fruits of the seasons. G. The land’s long and rich history can’t be separated from the influence of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. There is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Java, the majestic Buddhist ‘monastery on the hill’, Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world. About 17 km away from this monastery is a 9th century temple complex built by the Sanjaya dynasty. Prambanan complex is dedicated to the Hindu trinity: Ciwa, Vishnu and Brahma. The spread of Islam also left interesting monuments such as the 15th century Minaret Mosque in Kudus.

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний. 1. Motivating opportunity 2. Books come first 3. Teachers to come first 4. Junk food — out 5. Numbers come first 6. Relevant for today 7. Learn by using 8. Fewer and worse A. High school students have rights protected by the Constitution like everyone else, but it is complicated. There is no one set of rules. State laws differ from federal laws, and school board regulations vary from place to place. Students discover what rights they have by trying to exercise them, and, if prevented, taking the school to court. B. Kids who live on junk food grow up to be fat and unhealthy, so schools should teach good health. They should fill their vending machines with health foods, and lunch programs should serve nothing but nutritious meals. If some kids complain, so what? They complain about algebra, too. C. There is a new five-year program that lets students earn a high school diploma and two years of college at no cost. It is getting kids who are at risk to become more mature in the lower grades, to take college-prep courses, study harder, and focus on a career. Once in the program, very few drop out. D. Neuroscience (brain science) is finding out how teaching affects the brain. It has discovered pre-school kids can learn numbers and simple math because the number instinct is hard-wired in the brain. So is the language instinct, but teaching kids to read is harder. It takes longer for the brain to connect sounds with letters — up to 11 years. E. In hard times, colleges must be relevant. Today’s students want Chinese and Arabic, not Latin and Greek. Economics is in demand; and even English classes are teaching how to network, write a resume, and present oneself in an interview. It is not a good time to be a philosophy professor. F. Computers help with drills and practice, but they are not much help in higher-level thinking. In the lower grades, money is better spent on new textbooks, music programs and the arts. In the higher grades, there is no choice. Everyone should learn to use the electronic genie. G. The US program, No Child Left Behind, seeks to place a qualified teacher in every classroom. But where is the pool of qualified people out there waiting to teach disadvantaged kids in the cities? US policy should provide better training and support for those already teaching. They could start a new program and call it No Teacher Left Behind.