Практикум ЕГЭ. Чтение. Задание 10. Country study

Choose the correct heading. The Flatiron Building was constructed between 1901 and 1903 at the intersection of Broadway and Fifth Avenue. It was designed by Chicago’s Daniel Burnham as a steel-frame skyscraper covered with white terra-cotta. Built as the headquarters of the Fuller Construction company, the skyscraper was meant to be named Fuller Building. But locals soon started calling it “Flatiron” because of its unusual shape. The name stuck and soon became official.

Choose the correct heading. How does Rockefeller Center manage to find the perfect fur-tree each Christmas season? They do aerial searches by helicopter, of course, and bring it to the city during the night when there isn’t much traffic on the streets. After the tree is taken down for the year, it continues to be useful. For example, in 2005 Habitat for Humanity used the wood to make doorframes for houses for the poor and in 2012 the paper was used to publish a book.

Choose the correct heading. New Yorkers love to think they know everything about their city: where to find the best fruit, how to avoid paying full price at museums, what route to take to avoid traffic. But New York City can reveal new treasures even to its veterans. Beyond the city where New-Yorkers work, eat, play and commute every day lies a hidden New York: mysterious, forgotten, abandoned or just overlooked. There are places about which you’re not likely to read in any guidebook.

Choose the correct heading. The Chrysler Building was in a race with the Bank of Manhattan for getting the title of the tallest skyscraper in the world. The Bank was likely to triumph, with its height of 282 meters. But the spire of the Chrysler Building was constructed in secret inside the tower. Just one week after the Bank of Manhattan was finished, it was put in place, making it 318 meters tall and beating the Bank. It wouldn’t keep this title for long: one year later the Empire State Building was erected.

Choose the correct heading. In New York life never stands still. People have to call cabs, ride subway cars, do business of all kinds, eat pizzas and sandwiches for lunch. When you multiply that by more than eight million people in less than 500 square miles, you get the idea: everyone goes everywhere as fast as it is humanly possible. Whatever you do, don't stop in the middle of the sidewalk or you’ll make everyone around you incredibly angry.

Choose the correct heading. New York is really the melting pot of the world. Over 30 percent of its residents have come from abroad. It is believed that the city has the greatest linguistic diversity on the planet. There are over 800 different languages divided among its people. As some of these languages are nearly extinct, the City University of New York has begun a project called the Endangered Language Alliance. Its aim is to preserve rare languages like Bukhari, Vhlaski, and Ormuri.

Choose the correct heading. New York is extremely easy to navigate. Manhattan is divided into numbered streets from north to south and avenues from east to west. It’s almost impossible to get lost there. Buses are useful to travel around Manhattan, and the subway is the best means of transport to the other parts of the city. At some stage you’ll definitely use a yellow taxi. Try to get one on an avenue that’s going in the same direction you are –– you’ll save time and money. And don’t forget to leave a tip for the driver.

Choose the correct heading. Badgers are not always a farmer’s best friends, but Badger Watch farm in deepest rural Dorset has decided to exploit rather than fight Britain’s cutest large mammals. Extremely difficult to spot, a badger seen in the wild is an unforgettable experience. Two specially designed hides at Badger Watch Dorset offer one of the best chances of finding one. Each hide can be booked privately for up to eight people, from 6.30 pm until the lights are shut off at midnight. Alongside badgers, the hides offer a good chance of seeing foxes, deer, and rabbits.

Choose the correct heading. Holidays are the best opportunity to explore the UK and overseas territories, spending quality time with family or friends including a four-legged one. In fact, holidays are the best excuse to go on some nice dog adventure and give your dog the best time. To plan your perfect holiday, it’s a matter of finding a place suitable for dogs. The good news is that there is more choice than you may think. We found that almost all holiday accommodation and hotels have a filter which you can use to navigate your options, although some are better presented than others.

Choose the correct heading. The English have a very ironic sense of humour, and it may become clear when you discover what some of the towns and villages across England and the United Kingdom are called. Some are hilarious, while others are just plain rude. It is important to keep an eye out when you pass through the English countryside to see if you can spot a few on your travels. There’s Sheepy Parva and Sheepy Magna in Lancashire, Greedy Gut in Somerset, No Place in Derbyshire. There is always something to keep people entertained during their trip!

Choose the correct heading. The Hebrides are a beautiful archipelago, where Scottish Gaelic is still spoken. Each day will be a combination of relaxation and adventure. On a full day’s excursion, we may spend four or five hours in the kayaks and cover between seven and ten miles, with plenty of opportunities to land and explore islands on foot. One of the best ways to explore its coastline and spot some of the many bird species, otters and seals is by kayak. We can offer full-day guided trips, taking in hidden coves, long sandy beaches, and hidden ancient sites.

Choose the correct heading. England is part of the British Isles and a large archipelago off the coast of Europe. It is not a very big country. In fact, you could fit all the United Kingdom, that is, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, inside Texas, the USA, over 2.8 times. So, it shouldn’t come as too much surprise to know that you are never far from the sea when you are in England. In fact, even if you are standing in the very center of the country, you are still no more than 70 miles away from the coast. What a shame that the English weather doesn’t often encourage a beach day!

Choose the correct heading. You never forget your first whale. Such sightings are, of course, down to good fortune and timing, but once you’ve seen your first whale, you will want to see another and another. Famous for its whaling fleet, the Yorkshire coast is one of the best places in England to spot Minke whales, which appear in late summer, following the mackerel. From the coastline of the Outer Hebrides, you can spot up to 23 species of whales, more than a quarter of the world’s 89 known species, which pass through the waters off the west coast of Scotland.

Choose the correct heading. In summer the possibility of finding a calm area away from the crowds of holiday-goers can be a difficult task. Known as the Heritage Coast, the Northumberland coast area of outstanding natural beauty is surprisingly crowd-free, even in high summer. If you’re willing to relax, you’ll find a number of excellent bathing beaches here. Heritage hunters and nature watchers are spoiled with fantastically arresting castles. Most striking is the mighty fortress at Bamburgh. Many architectural historians have declared this the most wondrous of all England’s coastal castles.

Choose the correct heading. One local legend claims that the city of Orlando is named after the character in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, but the more commonly accepted version is that a man named Orlando Reeves owned a plantation and a sugar mill a bit north of what later became the city. Early settlers found where Reeves had carved his name in a tree and thought that it was a grave marker to a soldier, a hero who died in the Seminole War and mistakenly named their settlement after him.

Choose the correct heading. St. Petersburg was founded on May 16, 1703, when the foundation of the Peter and Paul Fortress was laid. Since its foundation, the city’s name has changed several times. Originally, it was named after the Apostle Peter as tsar Peter, the Apostle’s namesake, relied on this saint’s patronage. For a decade in the 1900s it was called Petrograd. This was from 1914 to 1924. After Lenin died, Petrograd was renamed Leningrad. St. Petersburg resumed its original name in 1992.

Choose the correct heading. In 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip discovered a supply of fresh water for his thirsty armada in a cave near Port Jackson, today’s Sydney Harbor. Later he started a settlement there. The place needed a name. Though originally he had planned to name his new freshwater-filled settlement Albion – a poetic name for England – instead he decided to call the bay Sydney Cove after the Secretary of State, Lord Sydney. The fact that the guy had never even set foot in Australia didn’t stop him.

Choose the correct heading. Have you ever wondered why in a restaurant we never order Beijing duck, but instead call it Peking like our grandmas did? Well, since Chinese characters don’t much lend themselves to transliteration, English interpretations of how the name is pronounced have changed over the years. The name was given to the city during the Ming Dynasty by Zhu Di, who moved his capital there. “Beijing” is about as close as we can get now to saying it like the Chinese.

Choose the correct heading. The Russian capital sits on the Moscva River, which is obviously where the city’s name comes from. However, there are a couple of theories as to where the name Moscva comes from. The first states that it is a derivative of a Finno-Ugric name meaning river of either cows, or bears, or darkness. Nobody is really sure which of the three exactly, but all of them seem quite possible. The other, more popular theory, says that the name comes from a Slavic word meaning dank, swampy river.

Choose the correct heading. It’s widely known that the City of Angels got its name from Spanish settlers. The beauty of the place impressed them so much that they considered it heaven on Earth. The original name, however, was a lot longer: El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porcincula, or “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Little Portion”. They realized there would be a lot of letters to fit on a hat they wore, so they just shortened it to Los Angeles.

Choose the correct heading. When Arizona city began expanding in the late 1860s, settlers realized that their little town needed a name. The founder of the city Jack Swilling, a Confederate veteran, wanted to name the town Stonewall in honour of Stonewall Jackson, but Darrell Duppa found out that their site had been a Native American settlement centuries earlier. He offered the name Phoenix. He believed that their new city would rise from the ruins of the former civilization like the legendary bird.

Choose the correct heading. One of the best Russian facts is that Russians learn not to smile while growing up. While smiling in many cultures is a sign of happiness and friendliness, Russians don’t view it that way. To Russians, smiling is a sign of weakness and not showing one’s true feelings. Russians do smile at people they know well and care about, but not at strangers as many other cultures do. If you smile at a Russian on the street, don’t expect them to smile back. However, we found that many Russians smiled and waved back when we were in Russia.

Choose the correct heading. In 1897, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for only 7.2 million dollars. With inflation, that is around 120 million dollars today. At the time, critics thought that Secretary of State William H. Seward who agreed to buy Alaska was crazy. But Seward had wanted to do it for a long time. Alaska is so large that the addition of this land increased the size of the U.S. by nearly 20 percent. Major discoveries of gold were made there in the 1880s and 1890s. These discoveries brought attention and people to Alaska.

Choose the correct heading. The scale of Russia is difficult to imagine. That is excellent for travelers because that means there is plenty to explore. The total landmass of Russia is 6,601,665 square miles. That is equal to 11% of the world’s total landmass! Based on the total landmass, Russia is the largest country in the world – nearly twice as big as Canada. It is the world’s second-largest nation as it covers all northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe. It shares land borders with more than a dozen countries, and shares sea borders with Japan and the United States.

Choose the correct heading. Folk dancing is an important part of Russian history and Russian culture. Russians perform folk dances at festivals, markets, and in the theater. Khorovod is one of the most common types of Russian folk dancing. This style of dance consists of people dancing together and holding hands. Khorovod is performed in the following way: women stand in a round and move from east to west, as the Sun goes across the sky. Foreign visitors have noticed that Khorovod reflects some traits of Russian character, such as enthusiasm, creativity, and joy of living.

Choose the correct heading. Because Russia has harsh winter conditions, it is probably no surprise that Russia is home to the coldest village in the world. While winters there average -58 degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest recorded temperature in Oymyakon is -96 degrees Fahrenheit. Living in these harsh temperatures comes with its fair share of disadvantages. For example, if someone tries to wear glasses outside, the glasses will freeze on their face. Also, cars have to stay in heated garages, or the engines will not start. If you decide to visit Oymyakon, be sure to pack for winter.

Choose the correct heading. There is a big difference between the male and female population in Russia. While females in Russia make up 54% of the population, males only make up 46%. Why is there such a big difference in the population? The population gap began during World War II when 25 million Russian soldiers died during the war. Moreover, men have a much shorter lifespan than women do. Many Russians live in rural communities where the way of life is harsh and Russian men often fall victim to hunting accidents, or health care issues.

Choose the correct heading. Russia has a lot of trees. If you are someone that loves nature, this is a fact you will enjoy. Around 20% of all the trees in the entire world are in Russia. That ends up being around 640 billion trees. About 45% of the country is covered by trees, much of it in Russia’s boreal forest, or taiga, located in remote areas of Siberia. They are part of wild, untouched forests that are too cold to travel to. These thick forest regions were once completely under glaciers and are now home to a whole load of brave species, including the Siberian tiger, wild boars, eagles, and owls.