Once in a small town there lived a baker. He had two pets — a dog and a donkey. The dog kept watch over the house. The donkey carried the bread and the cakes that the baker made. One night a thief A____ into the house. The baker B____ soundly. The dog too was fast asleep, he did not bark at the thief. The donkey saw the thief and wanted to awaken C____ master, so he began to bray loudly. The thief ran away. The baker could not sleep. He came out. He could not understand why the donkey brayed so loudly and he beat the stupid but dutiful donkey very badly. But the D____ house was saved. It was the duty of the dog to keep watch and not of the donkey. However, the donkey turned out to be a E____ guard than the dog.

A 1) broken 2) was breaking 3) broke 4) was broken
B 1) sleeps 2) was sleeping 3) slept 4) has slept
C 1) him 2) her 3) he 4) his
D 1) baker 2) bakers’ 3) baker’s 4) bakers
E 1) good 2) more good 3) best 4) better

I remember my first Halloween. It was a cold evening, 31 October, 1988. I A____ far from my home country, among B____ British neighbours whose kids were very excited about C____ day. I was thinking about my family when, suddenly, there was an energetic knock at the door. I D____ the door wondering who was there knocking so loudly. To my surprise I saw a group of kids, dressed up as ghosts, witches, queens and cowboys. Two of them were carrying a pumpkin with cut out eyes, a nose and a mouth. There was a candle inside, and the holes were shining. “Trick or treat!” they shouted. I was surprised. I didn’t know what to do. My son Tom, told me, “Give E____ some sweets, Mummy, or they will play a trick on us.” “Like what?” I asked. “They can throw water on the windows, put a pin into the front door keyhole or break an egg on the windscreen of your car”, he explained.

A 1) is living 2) live 3) lives 4) was living
B 1) my 2) mine 3) me 4) myself
C 1) this 2) that 3) these 4) those
D 1) open 2) have opened a 3) opened 4) was opened
E 1) they 2) them 3) their 4) themselves

Mr Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his job, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have A____ friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often B____ to dinner or to parties at other people’s houses.
Then Mrs Harris C____ to her husband, “We’ve been to a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?” “Yes, certainly,” answered her husband. “A big party will be the easiest, won’t it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month.” So, Mrs Harris said, ”Yes, I’ll invite all D____ friends here to a big party on 5th December.” “How many will that be?” Mr Harris asked. “Don’t invite too many.” Mrs Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband noticed that she was writing, “Party: 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.” “That isn’t very polite is it?” he said. “You’re telling our guests that they must go home at 8.30.” So Mrs Harris just wrote, “Party: 6.30 p.m .” A lot of guests came, and they all had a E____ time, so they did not go home at 8.30. In fact, they were still there at midnight when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, “You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained.”

A 1) much 2) a lot 3) many 4) little
B 1) go 2) went 3) will go 4) were gone
C 1) is saying 2) say 3) says 4) said
D 1) our 2) us 3) we 4) ours
E 1) better2) best 3) the best 4) good

Pig was looking at A____ on the ground. Turtle came by. “What did you find, Pig?” she said. “What is that thing on the ground?” “Don’t you know?” said Pig. “I’ll show you what it is!” Pig put the pencil on his hat. “Oh, now I see!” said Turtle. “It looks B____ on your hat. You are so smart, Pig.” “I know, I know,” said Pig. Frog came by just then. “Oh, Frog! Look what Pig put on his hat,” said Turtle. “I see,” said Frog. “That C____ your hat look good, Pig. What a smart thing to do!” “Being smart is what I do best,” D____ Pig. “Now I’ll show you something more!” Pig put the pencil on E____ nose. “What a good place for it!” said Frog. “I think that’s the best place,” said Turtle. “You are so smart, Pig.”

A 1) anything 2) something 3) nothing 4) anywhere
B 1) better 2) the best 3) best 4) good
C 1) making 2) maked 3) makes 4) make
D 1) said 2) say 3) says 4) is saying
E 1) himself 2) him 3) he 4) his

Joyce is 24 years old. She has a baby daughter, but she can’t take care of A____ baby. The government takes Joyce’s baby and B____ her to another family. Joyce never forgets her daughter. For 20 years Joyce looks for her. She can ’t find her. She doesn’t know her daughter’s new name. She doesn’t know her daughter’s address. When Joyce is 44 years old, she gets a job at a C____ store.
A young woman works with Joyce at the store. The young D____ name is Tammy. Tammy and Joyce are friends. One day at work Tammy begins to cry. “What’s the matter?” Joyce asks Tammy. “I’m looking for my birthmother and I can’t find her. I have only E____ photo. See? This is me when I was a baby.” Tammy shows Joyce the photo. Joyce looks at the photo for a long time. “Tammy,” Joyce says. “I think I'm your birth mother.”


A 1) she 2) her 3) hers 4) herself
B 1) gave 2) gives 3) is giving 4) has given
C 1) small 2) smaller 3) smallest 4) the smallest
D 1) waman 2) women's 3) woman's 4) women
E 1) those 2) that 3) these 4) this

Larry Walters wants to be a pilot. He wants to A____ an airplane. But Larry is not a B____ man. He doesn’t have an airplane. He has only a lawn chair.
Larry ties 45 big balloons to C____ lawn chair and then sits down on the chair. The lawn chair goes up. For a few minutes everything is fine. The view from the lawn chair is beautiful. Larry can see houses and trees below him.
He is happy. He is flying! The lawn chair goes up very high. Larry is afraid. “I don’t want to go very high,” Larry thinks. “I want to go down a little.” With a small gun Larry shoots 10 balloons. Unfortunately, Larry drops the gun, and it D____ to the ground. The chair goes up and up. “I’m flying in a lawn chair and I want to come down!”
Larry flies in the lawn chair for 45 minutes. Then the balloons E____ to lose air. Slowly the lawn chair comes down, and Larry is back on the ground. Larry says, “For 45 minutes I was a pilot — the pilot of a lawn chair.”

A 1) flying 2) flys 3) fly 4) flied
B 1) rich 2) richer 3) richest 4) more rich
C 1) his 2) he 3) him 4) himself
D 1) fall 2) falls 3) is falling 4) fell
E 1) begins 2) begin 3) began 4) begun

Maid Marian was the pretty young lady Robin A____ to marry. She lived in Nottingham with her family. Marian helped poor people too and often B____ to the forest to tell Robin about the wicked things the Sheriff did. The Sheriff sent C____ soldiers to arrest Maid Marian. “Do you know the outlaw called Robin Hood?” D____ the Sheriff. “No, I don’t,” said Marian. “I think you know him very well said the Sheriff. “Take her to the dungeon!” Robin received a secret message from Marian saying she was a prisoner in Nottingham Castle. “We must save her,” said the men. ’’Tomorrow is Nottingham Fair and the archery contest. Then tomorrow we E____ and save Maid Marian and win the contest!” “We can dress as jugglers and clowns,” said Little John. They wore unusual suits for clowns and jugglers. The men looked so funny that everybody laughed!

A 1) want 2) wants 3) wanted 4) has wanted
B 1) go 2) went 3) goes 4) will go
C 1) his 2) he 3) him 4) himself
D 1) ask 2) asks 3) is asking 4) asked
E 1) goes 2) will go 3) went 4) is going

For three days we walked, the land on either side of Solomon’s road was rich and well cared for. We saw farms and A____ , with people planting crops and young boys looking after the animals, they were raising long sticks high above B____ heads and bringing them down on the animals’ backs, to drive them along. During the trip I was able to C____ to the older warrior, whose name was Infadoos. He told me all about Twala, their king, as well as their political and cultural systems. By the time we arrived at the king’s palace I D____ already something of an expert in their tribe’s affairs. I knew that their king was unpopular, as he was a man, who had killed his E____ brother to gain the throne. When the king came, we could see that he was a fat, sweaty man, with only one eye. He looked at us and walked around us.

A 1) field 2) fields 3) fields' 4) field's
B 1) theirs 2) them 3) they 4) their
C 1) speak 2) spoke 3) speaking 4) spoken
D 1) am 2) were 3) was 4) are
E 1) old 2) older 3) oldest 4) elder

Tornadoes are storms with very strong turning winds and dark clouds. These winds are perhaps A____ on Earth. They reach speeds of 300 miles per hour. The dark clouds are shaped like a funnell — wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The winds B____ strongest in the centre of the funnel. Tornadoes are especially common in C____, but only in certain parts. They occur mainly in the central states.
A hot afternoon in the spring is the most likely time for a tornado. Clouds D____ dark. There is thunder, lightning and rain. A cloud forms a funnel and begins to twist. The funnel moves faster and faster. The faster the winds, the E____ the noise. Tornadoes always move in a northeastern direction. They never last longer than eight hours.

a funnel - воронка


A 1) stronger 2) strongest 3) the strongest 4) strong
B 1) were 2) are 3) will be 4) have been
C 1) the United States 2) a United States 3) United States 4) the United of States
D 1) becomes 2) became 3) are becoming 4) become
E 1) loud 2) loudest 3) louder 4) more loud

My favourite room is A____ kitchen. Perhaps the kitchen is B____ room in many houses, but it is particularly so in our house because it’s not only where we cook and C____ but it’s also the main meeting place for family and friends. I have so many happy memories of times spent there: special occasions such as homecomings or cooking Christmas dinner; troubled times, which lead to comforting cups of tea in the middle of the night; ordinary daily events such as making breakfast on dark, cold winter mornings for sleepy children before sending D____ off to school, then sitting down to read the newspaper with a steaming hot mug of coffee. Whenever we have a party, people gravitate with their drinks to the kitchen. It always E____ up the fullest and noisiest room in the house.

A 1) us 2) ours 3) we 4) our
B 1) important 2) the most important 3) more important 4) the important
C 1) are eating 2) eat 3) ate 4) have eaten
D 1) they 2) their 3) theirs 4) them
E 1) is ending 2) ended 3) ends 4) end

Living in a city has both advantages and disadvantages. On the plus side, it is often A____ to find job, and there is usually a choice of public transport, so you don’t need to own a car. Also, there are B____ of interesting things to do and places to see. For example, you can eat in good restaurants, visit museums, and go to the theatre and to concerts. What is more, when you want to relax, you can usually find a park where you can feed the ducks or just sit on a park bench and read a book. All in all, city life is full of bustle and variety and C____ will never feel really bored.
However, for every plus there is a minus. For one thing, you might have a job, but unless it is very well-paid, you will not be able to afford many of the things that there are to do, because living in a city is often quite expensive. It is particularly difficult to find good, cheap accommodation. What is more, public transport D____ sometimes crowded and dirty, particularly in the rush hours, and even the parks can E____ very crowded, especially on Sundays when it seems that every city dweller is looking for some open space and green grass.

A 1) more easy 2) easier 3) easy 4) easiest
B 1) much 2) a lot 3) many 4) few
C 1) your 2) yourself 3) yourselves 4) you
D 1) will be 2) are 3) is 4) am
E 1) become 2) became 3) becomes 4) have become

The lives of the Inuit people of North America have changed a lot in 50 years. First, their name: people called them Eskimos, but now they are called Inuits, A____ means “the people”. They lived in igloos in the winter but today many of them live in houses in small towns. They hunted seals — they ate the meat and B____ clothes from the fur. Many of the people still wear seal-skin clothes today because they are very warm. Remember, the weather is extremely cold for many months of the year. 80-year-old Inuit, Mariano Tagalik, told C____a little about her early life. “Our winter igloos were very warm. We cooked inside so sometimes it got too hot. When I was a child I took off most of my clothes when I was in our igloo. In the short summers we lived in seal-skin tents, but I spent as D____ time as possible playing outside.” To move over the snow, they wore special snowshoes on their feet, but today many Inuits E____ snowmobiles. These machines can travel long distances in a short time. In the past it took them days or weeks to travel the same distance.

A 1) where 2) why 3) which 4) when
B 1) make 2) made 3) have made 4) will make
C 1) we 2) us 3) our 4) ours
D 1) more 2) many 3) a lot 4) much
E 1) drive 2) drove 3) driven 4) drives

Christmas is a joyful religious holiday when Christians A____ the birth of Jesus Christ. To people all over the world, Christmas is a season of giving and receiving presents. In Scandinavian and other European countries, Father Christmas, or Saint Nicholas, B____ into houses in the night and leaves gifts for the children. Saint Nicholas is represented as a kindly man with a red cloak and long white beard. He visited houses and left gifts, bringing people happiness in C____ months of the year. Another character, the God Odin, rode on a magical flying horse across the sky in the winter to reward people with gifts. D____ different legends passed across the ages to make the present-day Santa Claus.
Although Santa Claus has origins in Norse and pre-Christian mythology, he took shape in the United States. Americans gave Santa Claus a white beard, dressed E____ in a red suit and made him a cheery old gentleman with red cheeks and a twinkle in his eye. American children believe that Santa Claus lives at the North Pole with his wife. All year he lists the names of children, both those who have been good and those who have been bad. He decides what presents to give to the good children. Santa Claus supposedly gets his list of toys from the millions of children who write to him at the North Pole.

A 1) celebrates 2) celebrate 3) celebrated 4) will celebrate
B 1) comes 2) come 3) came 4) will come
C 1) cold 2) colder 3) the most cold 4) the coldest
D 1) That 2) This 3) These 4) Those
E 1) he 2) his 3) himself 4) him

In a small village in North Yorkshire, there’s a big old farmhouse where three families live together: Alice and George and their three children, John and Pamela and A____ two children, and Sarah and her baby daughter.
The adults divide up the work between them. George does the cooking, Joe and Sue do most of the housework, Pam looks after the shopping and B____ the repairs, and Alice takes care of the garden. Alice, George and Sue go out to work; Joe works at home designing computer systems, and Pam, who C____ a painter, looks after the baby during the day.
Two of the children go to school in the village, but the three oldest ones go by bus to the secondary school in the D____ town, ten miles away. The three families get on well, and enjoy their way of life.
There are a few difficulties, of course. Their biggest worry at the moment is money — one of the cars E____ replacing, and the roof needs some expensive repairs. But this isn’t too serious — the bank has agreed to a loan, which they expect to be able to pay back in three years. And they all say they would much rather go on living in their old farmhouse than move to a luxury flat in a big city.

A 1) they 2) them 3) theirs 4) their
B 1) do 2) did 3) doing 4) does
C 1) are 2) is 3) were 4) was
D 1) nearest 2) near 3) nearer 4) more near
E 1) need 2) needed 3) needs 4) will need

Pablo Picasso showed his truly exceptional talent from a very young age. He learned to draw before he could talk. His father worked as a drawing teacher at a college. He A____ an amateur artist. Pablo often watched his father paint and sometimes was allowed to help B____ . One evening his father was painting a picture of their pigeons when he had to leave the room. He returned to find that Pablo had completed the picture, and it was so amazingly beautiful and lifelike that he gave his son his own palette and brushes. Pablo was just 13. From then onwards there was no stopping him. Many people realized that he was a genius but he disappointed those C____ wanted him to become a traditional painter. He was always breaking the rules of artistic tradition and shocked the public with his strange and really D____ pictures. He is probably best known for his “Cubist” pictures, which used only simple geometric shapes. His paintings of people were often made up of triangles and squares with their features in the wrong place. His work changed E____ ideas about art, and to millions of people modem art means the work of Picasso.

A 1) were 2) being 3) was 4) been
B 1) him 2) his 3) he 4) himself
C 1) which 2) whose 3) who 4) whom
D 1) more powerful 2) powerful 3) the most powerful 4) the powerful
E 1) us 2) we 3) ourselves 4) our