Тренировочный вариант Яндекс.ЕГЭ по английскому языку № 12 за 2014 год

The Salinas Valley is long and narrow, and it lies between two mountain ranges in Northern California. The Salinas River twists and turns through the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.

I remember the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley. They were light and sunny and lovely, and they invited you to climb into their warm foothills. The Santa Lucias stood darkly against the sky to the west, and they were unfriendly and dangerous. I always loved the East and feared the West, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans, and the night approached from the Santa Lucias.

The floor of the Salinas Valley was wide and flat. After a rainy winter, the valley was carpeted with spring flowers of all colours: bright blue and white, burning orange, red, and mustard yellow. In the shade of the oak trees, green plants grew and gave a good smell. In June the grasses on the hills turned gold and yellow and red. The soil in the valley was deep and rich, but in the foothills it was poor and thin.

There were good years, when the rainfall was plentiful, but there were also very bad years. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet, wonderful years followed by six or seven good years. Then came the dry years when the earth dried and cracked and the streams stopped. The grass was scarce, the cattle grew thin, and a hot, dry wind blew dust down the valley. Then the farmers and the ranchers hated the Salinas Valley. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.

The first people who lived in the Salinas Valley were the Indians. They lived on insects, nuts, and shellfish. Then came the soldiers and priests sent by the King of Spain. They explored the land greedily for gold and souls. They made maps and named everything they saw. Buena Vista was a beautiful view, Laguna Seca was a dry lake, and Salinas was white like salt.

After that came the Americans, even greedier because there were more of them. They occupied the valley land first, then moved into the foothills. Soon there were wooden farmhouses and growing families wherever there was water. The farmers planted square fields of corn and wheat, and long lines of trees to protect the topsoil from the wind. The trails between the farms became roads. Stores and workshops opened along the roads, and little towns grew up around them – Bradley, King City, Greenfield.

And this is the way the Salinas Valley was when my grandfather brought his wife and settled in the foothills east of King City. I must depend on stories, old photographs, and memories to tell you the story of the Hamiltons.

Young Samuel Hamilton and his wife came from the north of Ireland in around 1870. He was the son of small farmers, not rich but not poor. They were well-educated and well-read, and they were related to great families as well as humble ones.

I do not know why Samuel left that green land. He was not a political man, so he surely was not a rebel. He was perfectly honest, so it was not the police. In my family, they whispered that he loved a woman who was not his wife.

The Salinas Valley is long and narrow, and it lies between two mountain ranges in Northern California. The Salinas River twists and turns through the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.

I remember the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley. They were light and sunny and lovely, and they invited you to climb into their warm foothills. The Santa Lucias stood darkly against the sky to the west, and they were unfriendly and dangerous. I always loved the East and feared the West, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans, and the night approached from the Santa Lucias.

The floor of the Salinas Valley was wide and flat. After a rainy winter, the valley was carpeted with spring flowers of all colours: bright blue and white, burning orange, red, and mustard yellow. In the shade of the oak trees, green plants grew and gave a good smell. In June the grasses on the hills turned gold and yellow and red. The soil in the valley was deep and rich, but in the foothills it was poor and thin.

There were good years, when the rainfall was plentiful, but there were also very bad years. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet, wonderful years followed by six or seven good years. Then came the dry years when the earth dried and cracked and the streams stopped. The grass was scarce, the cattle grew thin, and a hot, dry wind blew dust down the valley. Then the farmers and the ranchers hated the Salinas Valley. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.

The first people who lived in the Salinas Valley were the Indians. They lived on insects, nuts, and shellfish. Then came the soldiers and priests sent by the King of Spain. They explored the land greedily for gold and souls. They made maps and named everything they saw. Buena Vista was a beautiful view, Laguna Seca was a dry lake, and Salinas was white like salt.

After that came the Americans, even greedier because there were more of them. They occupied the valley land first, then moved into the foothills. Soon there were wooden farmhouses and growing families wherever there was water. The farmers planted square fields of corn and wheat, and long lines of trees to protect the topsoil from the wind. The trails between the farms became roads. Stores and workshops opened along the roads, and little towns grew up around them – Bradley, King City, Greenfield.

And this is the way the Salinas Valley was when my grandfather brought his wife and settled in the foothills east of King City. I must depend on stories, old photographs, and memories to tell you the story of the Hamiltons.

Young Samuel Hamilton and his wife came from the north of Ireland in around 1870. He was the son of small farmers, not rich but not poor. They were well-educated and well-read, and they were related to great families as well as humble ones.

I do not know why Samuel left that green land. He was not a political man, so he surely was not a rebel. He was perfectly honest, so it was not the police. In my family, they whispered that he loved a woman who was not his wife.

The Salinas Valley is long and narrow, and it lies between two mountain ranges in Northern California. The Salinas River twists and turns through the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.

I remember the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley. They were light and sunny and lovely, and they invited you to climb into their warm foothills. The Santa Lucias stood darkly against the sky to the west, and they were unfriendly and dangerous. I always loved the East and feared the West, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans, and the night approached from the Santa Lucias.

The floor of the Salinas Valley was wide and flat. After a rainy winter, the valley was carpeted with spring flowers of all colours: bright blue and white, burning orange, red, and mustard yellow. In the shade of the oak trees, green plants grew and gave a good smell. In June the grasses on the hills turned gold and yellow and red. The soil in the valley was deep and rich, but in the foothills it was poor and thin.

There were good years, when the rainfall was plentiful, but there were also very bad years. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet, wonderful years followed by six or seven good years. Then came the dry years when the earth dried and cracked and the streams stopped. The grass was scarce, the cattle grew thin, and a hot, dry wind blew dust down the valley. Then the farmers and the ranchers hated the Salinas Valley. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.

The first people who lived in the Salinas Valley were the Indians. They lived on insects, nuts, and shellfish. Then came the soldiers and priests sent by the King of Spain. They explored the land greedily for gold and souls. They made maps and named everything they saw. Buena Vista was a beautiful view, Laguna Seca was a dry lake, and Salinas was white like salt.

After that came the Americans, even greedier because there were more of them. They occupied the valley land first, then moved into the foothills. Soon there were wooden farmhouses and growing families wherever there was water. The farmers planted square fields of corn and wheat, and long lines of trees to protect the topsoil from the wind. The trails between the farms became roads. Stores and workshops opened along the roads, and little towns grew up around them – Bradley, King City, Greenfield.

And this is the way the Salinas Valley was when my grandfather brought his wife and settled in the foothills east of King City. I must depend on stories, old photographs, and memories to tell you the story of the Hamiltons.

Young Samuel Hamilton and his wife came from the north of Ireland in around 1870. He was the son of small farmers, not rich but not poor. They were well-educated and well-read, and they were related to great families as well as humble ones.

I do not know why Samuel left that green land. He was not a political man, so he surely was not a rebel. He was perfectly honest, so it was not the police. In my family, they whispered that he loved a woman who was not his wife.

The Salinas Valley is long and narrow, and it lies between two mountain ranges in Northern California. The Salinas River twists and turns through the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.

I remember the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley. They were light and sunny and lovely, and they invited you to climb into their warm foothills. The Santa Lucias stood darkly against the sky to the west, and they were unfriendly and dangerous. I always loved the East and feared the West, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans, and the night approached from the Santa Lucias.

The floor of the Salinas Valley was wide and flat. After a rainy winter, the valley was carpeted with spring flowers of all colours: bright blue and white, burning orange, red, and mustard yellow. In the shade of the oak trees, green plants grew and gave a good smell. In June the grasses on the hills turned gold and yellow and red. The soil in the valley was deep and rich, but in the foothills it was poor and thin.

There were good years, when the rainfall was plentiful, but there were also very bad years. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet, wonderful years followed by six or seven good years. Then came the dry years when the earth dried and cracked and the streams stopped. The grass was scarce, the cattle grew thin, and a hot, dry wind blew dust down the valley. Then the farmers and the ranchers hated the Salinas Valley. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.

The first people who lived in the Salinas Valley were the Indians. They lived on insects, nuts, and shellfish. Then came the soldiers and priests sent by the King of Spain. They explored the land greedily for gold and souls. They made maps and named everything they saw. Buena Vista was a beautiful view, Laguna Seca was a dry lake, and Salinas was white like salt.

After that came the Americans, even greedier because there were more of them. They occupied the valley land first, then moved into the foothills. Soon there were wooden farmhouses and growing families wherever there was water. The farmers planted square fields of corn and wheat, and long lines of trees to protect the topsoil from the wind. The trails between the farms became roads. Stores and workshops opened along the roads, and little towns grew up around them – Bradley, King City, Greenfield.

And this is the way the Salinas Valley was when my grandfather brought his wife and settled in the foothills east of King City. I must depend on stories, old photographs, and memories to tell you the story of the Hamiltons.

Young Samuel Hamilton and his wife came from the north of Ireland in around 1870. He was the son of small farmers, not rich but not poor. They were well-educated and well-read, and they were related to great families as well as humble ones.

I do not know why Samuel left that green land. He was not a political man, so he surely was not a rebel. He was perfectly honest, so it was not the police. In my family, they whispered that he loved a woman who was not his wife.

The Salinas Valley is long and narrow, and it lies between two mountain ranges in Northern California. The Salinas River twists and turns through the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.

I remember the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley. They were light and sunny and lovely, and they invited you to climb into their warm foothills. The Santa Lucias stood darkly against the sky to the west, and they were unfriendly and dangerous. I always loved the East and feared the West, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans, and the night approached from the Santa Lucias.

The floor of the Salinas Valley was wide and flat. After a rainy winter, the valley was carpeted with spring flowers of all colours: bright blue and white, burning orange, red, and mustard yellow. In the shade of the oak trees, green plants grew and gave a good smell. In June the grasses on the hills turned gold and yellow and red. The soil in the valley was deep and rich, but in the foothills it was poor and thin.

There were good years, when the rainfall was plentiful, but there were also very bad years. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet, wonderful years followed by six or seven good years. Then came the dry years when the earth dried and cracked and the streams stopped. The grass was scarce, the cattle grew thin, and a hot, dry wind blew dust down the valley. Then the farmers and the ranchers hated the Salinas Valley. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.

The first people who lived in the Salinas Valley were the Indians. They lived on insects, nuts, and shellfish. Then came the soldiers and priests sent by the King of Spain. They explored the land greedily for gold and souls. They made maps and named everything they saw. Buena Vista was a beautiful view, Laguna Seca was a dry lake, and Salinas was white like salt.

After that came the Americans, even greedier because there were more of them. They occupied the valley land first, then moved into the foothills. Soon there were wooden farmhouses and growing families wherever there was water. The farmers planted square fields of corn and wheat, and long lines of trees to protect the topsoil from the wind. The trails between the farms became roads. Stores and workshops opened along the roads, and little towns grew up around them – Bradley, King City, Greenfield.

And this is the way the Salinas Valley was when my grandfather brought his wife and settled in the foothills east of King City. I must depend on stories, old photographs, and memories to tell you the story of the Hamiltons.

Young Samuel Hamilton and his wife came from the north of Ireland in around 1870. He was the son of small farmers, not rich but not poor. They were well-educated and well-read, and they were related to great families as well as humble ones.

I do not know why Samuel left that green land. He was not a political man, so he surely was not a rebel. He was perfectly honest, so it was not the police. In my family, they whispered that he loved a woman who was not his wife.

The Salinas Valley is long and narrow, and it lies between two mountain ranges in Northern California. The Salinas River twists and turns through the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.

I remember the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley. They were light and sunny and lovely, and they invited you to climb into their warm foothills. The Santa Lucias stood darkly against the sky to the west, and they were unfriendly and dangerous. I always loved the East and feared the West, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans, and the night approached from the Santa Lucias.

The floor of the Salinas Valley was wide and flat. After a rainy winter, the valley was carpeted with spring flowers of all colours: bright blue and white, burning orange, red, and mustard yellow. In the shade of the oak trees, green plants grew and gave a good smell. In June the grasses on the hills turned gold and yellow and red. The soil in the valley was deep and rich, but in the foothills it was poor and thin.

There were good years, when the rainfall was plentiful, but there were also very bad years. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet, wonderful years followed by six or seven good years. Then came the dry years when the earth dried and cracked and the streams stopped. The grass was scarce, the cattle grew thin, and a hot, dry wind blew dust down the valley. Then the farmers and the ranchers hated the Salinas Valley. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.

The first people who lived in the Salinas Valley were the Indians. They lived on insects, nuts, and shellfish. Then came the soldiers and priests sent by the King of Spain. They explored the land greedily for gold and souls. They made maps and named everything they saw. Buena Vista was a beautiful view, Laguna Seca was a dry lake, and Salinas was white like salt.

After that came the Americans, even greedier because there were more of them. They occupied the valley land first, then moved into the foothills. Soon there were wooden farmhouses and growing families wherever there was water. The farmers planted square fields of corn and wheat, and long lines of trees to protect the topsoil from the wind. The trails between the farms became roads. Stores and workshops opened along the roads, and little towns grew up around them – Bradley, King City, Greenfield.

And this is the way the Salinas Valley was when my grandfather brought his wife and settled in the foothills east of King City. I must depend on stories, old photographs, and memories to tell you the story of the Hamiltons.

Young Samuel Hamilton and his wife came from the north of Ireland in around 1870. He was the son of small farmers, not rich but not poor. They were well-educated and well-read, and they were related to great families as well as humble ones.

I do not know why Samuel left that green land. He was not a political man, so he surely was not a rebel. He was perfectly honest, so it was not the police. In my family, they whispered that he loved a woman who was not his wife.

The Salinas Valley is long and narrow, and it lies between two mountain ranges in Northern California. The Salinas River twists and turns through the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.

I remember the Gabilan Mountains to the east of the valley. They were light and sunny and lovely, and they invited you to climb into their warm foothills. The Santa Lucias stood darkly against the sky to the west, and they were unfriendly and dangerous. I always loved the East and feared the West, but I don’t know why. Maybe it was because the morning came over the peaks of the Gabilans, and the night approached from the Santa Lucias.

The floor of the Salinas Valley was wide and flat. After a rainy winter, the valley was carpeted with spring flowers of all colours: bright blue and white, burning orange, red, and mustard yellow. In the shade of the oak trees, green plants grew and gave a good smell. In June the grasses on the hills turned gold and yellow and red. The soil in the valley was deep and rich, but in the foothills it was poor and thin.

There were good years, when the rainfall was plentiful, but there were also very bad years. The water came in a thirty-year cycle. There would be five or six wet, wonderful years followed by six or seven good years. Then came the dry years when the earth dried and cracked and the streams stopped. The grass was scarce, the cattle grew thin, and a hot, dry wind blew dust down the valley. Then the farmers and the ranchers hated the Salinas Valley. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. During the dry years, the people forgot about the rich years, and when the wet years returned, they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.

The first people who lived in the Salinas Valley were the Indians. They lived on insects, nuts, and shellfish. Then came the soldiers and priests sent by the King of Spain. They explored the land greedily for gold and souls. They made maps and named everything they saw. Buena Vista was a beautiful view, Laguna Seca was a dry lake, and Salinas was white like salt.

After that came the Americans, even greedier because there were more of them. They occupied the valley land first, then moved into the foothills. Soon there were wooden farmhouses and growing families wherever there was water. The farmers planted square fields of corn and wheat, and long lines of trees to protect the topsoil from the wind. The trails between the farms became roads. Stores and workshops opened along the roads, and little towns grew up around them – Bradley, King City, Greenfield.

And this is the way the Salinas Valley was when my grandfather brought his wife and settled in the foothills east of King City. I must depend on stories, old photographs, and memories to tell you the story of the Hamiltons.

Young Samuel Hamilton and his wife came from the north of Ireland in around 1870. He was the son of small farmers, not rich but not poor. They were well-educated and well-read, and they were related to great families as well as humble ones.

I do not know why Samuel left that green land. He was not a political man, so he surely was not a rebel. He was perfectly honest, so it was not the police. In my family, they whispered that he loved a woman who was not his wife.

We had a heavenly day yesterday. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, the place where Shakespeare was born and died. It was a (A) ________ day, for yesterday was April 23rd; that is St. George‘s Day – the saint of England – and that is the day on which Shakespeare was born, and also the day on which he died. Stratford is a very (B) ________ town, right in the centre of England. You can’t get very far from the sea anywhere in England, but Stratford is about the farthest point you can get from it. It’s (C) ________ to think that Shakespeare was born right in the heart of England and in the midst of country that is so typically English. Stratford is quite a (D) ________ town, especially on market day. But it wasn't market day yesterday, so we were able to (E) ________ round comfortably. The first place we went to was Shakespeare’s birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford. We saw the very room where Shakespeare was born. Lots of people who had visited the house had written their names on the walls. It seemed a wrong thing to do – although (F) ________ the names were Walter Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Browning. But one of the things I liked best was the garden behind the house, because in it are growing all the flowers, trees and plants that are (G) ________ in Shakespeare’s plays.

We had a heavenly day yesterday. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, the place where Shakespeare was born and died. It was a (A) ________ day, for yesterday was April 23rd; that is St. George‘s Day – the saint of England – and that is the day on which Shakespeare was born, and also the day on which he died. Stratford is a very (B) ________ town, right in the centre of England. You can’t get very far from the sea anywhere in England, but Stratford is about the farthest point you can get from it. It’s (C) ________ to think that Shakespeare was born right in the heart of England and in the midst of country that is so typically English. Stratford is quite a (D) ________ town, especially on market day. But it wasn't market day yesterday, so we were able to (E) ________ round comfortably. The first place we went to was Shakespeare’s birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford. We saw the very room where Shakespeare was born. Lots of people who had visited the house had written their names on the walls. It seemed a wrong thing to do – although (F) ________ the names were Walter Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Browning. But one of the things I liked best was the garden behind the house, because in it are growing all the flowers, trees and plants that are (G) ________ in Shakespeare’s plays.

We had a heavenly day yesterday. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, the place where Shakespeare was born and died. It was a (A) ________ day, for yesterday was April 23rd; that is St. George‘s Day – the saint of England – and that is the day on which Shakespeare was born, and also the day on which he died. Stratford is a very (B) ________ town, right in the centre of England. You can’t get very far from the sea anywhere in England, but Stratford is about the farthest point you can get from it. It’s (C) ________ to think that Shakespeare was born right in the heart of England and in the midst of country that is so typically English. Stratford is quite a (D) ________ town, especially on market day. But it wasn't market day yesterday, so we were able to (E) ________ round comfortably. The first place we went to was Shakespeare’s birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford. We saw the very room where Shakespeare was born. Lots of people who had visited the house had written their names on the walls. It seemed a wrong thing to do – although (F) ________ the names were Walter Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Browning. But one of the things I liked best was the garden behind the house, because in it are growing all the flowers, trees and plants that are (G) ________ in Shakespeare’s plays.

We had a heavenly day yesterday. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, the place where Shakespeare was born and died. It was a (A) ________ day, for yesterday was April 23rd; that is St. George‘s Day – the saint of England – and that is the day on which Shakespeare was born, and also the day on which he died. Stratford is a very (B) ________ town, right in the centre of England. You can’t get very far from the sea anywhere in England, but Stratford is about the farthest point you can get from it. It’s (C) ________ to think that Shakespeare was born right in the heart of England and in the midst of country that is so typically English. Stratford is quite a (D) ________ town, especially on market day. But it wasn't market day yesterday, so we were able to (E) ________ round comfortably. The first place we went to was Shakespeare’s birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford. We saw the very room where Shakespeare was born. Lots of people who had visited the house had written their names on the walls. It seemed a wrong thing to do – although (F) ________ the names were Walter Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Browning. But one of the things I liked best was the garden behind the house, because in it are growing all the flowers, trees and plants that are (G) ________ in Shakespeare’s plays.

We had a heavenly day yesterday. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, the place where Shakespeare was born and died. It was a (A) ________ day, for yesterday was April 23rd; that is St. George‘s Day – the saint of England – and that is the day on which Shakespeare was born, and also the day on which he died. Stratford is a very (B) ________ town, right in the centre of England. You can’t get very far from the sea anywhere in England, but Stratford is about the farthest point you can get from it. It’s (C) ________ to think that Shakespeare was born right in the heart of England and in the midst of country that is so typically English. Stratford is quite a (D) ________ town, especially on market day. But it wasn't market day yesterday, so we were able to (E) ________ round comfortably. The first place we went to was Shakespeare’s birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford. We saw the very room where Shakespeare was born. Lots of people who had visited the house had written their names on the walls. It seemed a wrong thing to do – although (F) ________ the names were Walter Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Browning. But one of the things I liked best was the garden behind the house, because in it are growing all the flowers, trees and plants that are (G) ________ in Shakespeare’s plays.

We had a heavenly day yesterday. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, the place where Shakespeare was born and died. It was a (A) ________ day, for yesterday was April 23rd; that is St. George‘s Day – the saint of England – and that is the day on which Shakespeare was born, and also the day on which he died. Stratford is a very (B) ________ town, right in the centre of England. You can’t get very far from the sea anywhere in England, but Stratford is about the farthest point you can get from it. It’s (C) ________ to think that Shakespeare was born right in the heart of England and in the midst of country that is so typically English. Stratford is quite a (D) ________ town, especially on market day. But it wasn't market day yesterday, so we were able to (E) ________ round comfortably. The first place we went to was Shakespeare’s birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford. We saw the very room where Shakespeare was born. Lots of people who had visited the house had written their names on the walls. It seemed a wrong thing to do – although (F) ________ the names were Walter Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Browning. But one of the things I liked best was the garden behind the house, because in it are growing all the flowers, trees and plants that are (G) ________ in Shakespeare’s plays.

We had a heavenly day yesterday. We went to Stratford-on-Avon, the place where Shakespeare was born and died. It was a (A)________ day, for yesterday was April 23rd; that is St. George‘s Day – the saint of England – and that is the day on which Shakespeare was born, and also the day on which he died. Stratford is a very (B)________ town, right in the centre of England. You can’t get very far from the sea anywhere in England, but Stratford is about the farthest point you can get from it. It’s (C)________ to think that Shakespeare was born right in the heart of England and in the midst of country that is so typically English. Stratford is quite a (D)________ town, especially on market day. But it wasn't market day yesterday, so we were able to (E)________ round comfortably. The first place we went to was Shakespeare’s birthplace, a small house with small rooms in the centre of Stratford. We saw the very room where Shakespeare was born. Lots of people who had visited the house had written their names on the walls. It seemed a wrong thing to do – although (F)________ the names were Walter Scott, Dickens, Thackeray and Browning. But one of the things I liked best was the garden behind the house, because in it are growing all the flowers, trees and plants that are (G)________ in Shakespeare’s plays.

A. The novel covers an eventful period in American history and many of the characters are touched by national and international events. The issue of slavery split the country, and between 1861 and 1865 the northern and southern states were engaged in a bloody civil war. After the war ended, the country recovered and there was a period of rapid economic growth. Settlers moved west to build new farms and adopted new mechanical methods of farming. The railroads expanded and opened up new production areas and markets. The United States soon became the world’s leading agricultural producer.

B. From the landing at Plymouth Rock to today, educators and community members have debated over the best way that government should fulfill its responsibility to educate citizens. Underlying these debates are three central questions: What is the purpose of a public education? Who is to receive the educational services provided by the public? And, how does government ensure the quality of these educational services? In various forms, these questions lay beneath all educational changes and reform measures in American history.

C. In Europe during the Middle Ages and much of the Early Modern period, the main purpose of schools (as opposed to universities) was to teach the Latin language. This led to the term grammar school, which in the United States informally refers to a primary school, but in the United Kingdom means a school that selects entrants based on ability or aptitude. Following this, the school curriculum has gradually broadened to include literacy in the vernacular language as well as technical, artistic, scientific and practical subjects.

D. A large number of people depend directly or indirectly on the tobacco business. Small shops receive a large part of their income from the sale of cigarettes, and may be forced to close if cigarettes are made illegal. There are also many others who depend on this market. Tobacco is largely grown in warm countries, with undeveloped economies. A complete ban on cigarettes would force farmers to change the crops that they grow, and this is not something that can be carried out quickly. Poor farmers may not be able to feed their families without the income from tobacco.

E. The number of people suffering from respiratory illness in the countryside was significantly lower in the past than it is today. This supported by Michael J. Brown’s empirical research and by the statistics collected by the Bureau of Information over a 50-year period. It is, however, impossible to identify a direct relation of cause and effect between the increased use of pesticides and the rise in the number of breathing problems, as so many other factors in people’s lifestyle have also changed.

F. The coffee served in the coffee houses wasn’t necessarily very good coffee. Because of the way coffee was taxed in Britain, the practice was to brew it in large batches, store it cold in barrels and reheat it a little at a time for serving. So coffee’s appeal in Britain was less to do with its being a quality beverage than a social lubricant. People went to coffee houses to meet people of shared interests, to gossip, read the latest journals and newspapers – a brand-new word and concept in the 1660s – and exchange information of value to their lives and business.

G. Christianity was always curiously ill at ease with cleanliness, and early on developed an odd tradition of equating holiness with dirtiness. When St. Thomas a Becket died in 1170, those who laid him out noted approvingly that his undergarments were ‘seething with lice’. Throughout the medieval period, an almost sure-fire way to earn lasting honour was to take a vow not to wash. Many people walked from England to the Holy Land, but when a monk named Godric did it without getting wet even once he became, all but inevitably, St. Godric.

At that moment, the city of New York was about to begin converting 840 acres of hayfields and scrubland into the long-awaited Central Park. It was an enormous site, stretching nearly 2,5 miles from top to bottom (A)________ Frederick Olmsted, in some desperation, applied for the job of superintendent of the workforce and got it. He was thirty-five years old, (B)________

Becoming the superintendent of a municipal park was, for someone who had enjoyed as much success as he had, a humbling comedown, particularly (C)________ For one thing, in those days it wasn’t actually central at all. ‘Uptown’ Manhattan was still nearly two miles to the south. (D)________– a forlorn expanse of abandoned quarries and ‘pestiferous swamps’, in the words of one observer. (E)________ seemed almost ludicrously ambitious.

(F)________ – which was, not incidentally, always called the Central Park, with a definite article, in its early days. A prize of $2,000 awaited the winning entry and Olmsted need the money.

(1)One day a very (WEALTH) ________ American, Hiram Buston, came to Lacasso, a poor painter, and said that he had bought secretly, a (VALUE) ________ 16th century ‘old master’. (2)He said, “I know the English (GOVERN) ________ won’t let me take it out of England, but I have a plan to get round that. (3)I want you to paint a picture – it doesn't matter what it is – on top of the 'old master’.” (4)Hiram then explained that he could (EASY) ________ get Lacasso’s picture removed from the canvas when he got to New York, without (DAMAGE) ________ what was underneath. (5)Well, Lacasso painted a picture of a London gas-works on it, and old Buston got the canvas to New York all right and sent it to the firm he knew to have Lacasso’s (PAINT) ________ removed. (6)About a week later he got an e-mail from the firm. (7)It said: "We have removed the picture of London gas-works, also 'old master', and are now down to a portrait of Queen Victoria. (8)When do you want us to stop?"

(1)One day a very (WEALTH) ________ American, Hiram Buston, came to Lacasso, a poor painter, and said that he had bought secretly, a (VALUE) ________ 16th century ‘old master’. (2)He said, “I know the English (GOVERN) ________ won’t let me take it out of England, but I have a plan to get round that. (3)I want you to paint a picture – it doesn't matter what it is – on top of the 'old master’.” (4)Hiram then explained that he could (EASY) ________ get Lacasso’s picture removed from the canvas when he got to New York, without (DAMAGE) ________ what was underneath. (5)Well, Lacasso painted a picture of a London gas-works on it, and old Buston got the canvas to New York all right and sent it to the firm he knew to have Lacasso’s (PAINT) ________ removed. (6)About a week later he got an e-mail from the firm. (7)It said: "We have removed the picture of London gas-works, also 'old master', and are now down to a portrait of Queen Victoria. (8)When do you want us to stop?"

(1)One day a very (WEALTH) ________ American, Hiram Buston, came to Lacasso, a poor painter, and said that he had bought secretly, a (VALUE) ________ 16th century ‘old master’. (2)He said, “I know the English (GOVERN) ________ won’t let me take it out of England, but I have a plan to get round that. (3)I want you to paint a picture – it doesn't matter what it is – on top of the 'old master’.” (4)Hiram then explained that he could (EASY) ________ get Lacasso’s picture removed from the canvas when he got to New York, without (DAMAGE) ________ what was underneath. (5)Well, Lacasso painted a picture of a London gas-works on it, and old Buston got the canvas to New York all right and sent it to the firm he knew to have Lacasso’s (PAINT) ________ removed. (6)About a week later he got an e-mail from the firm. (7)It said: "We have removed the picture of London gas-works, also 'old master', and are now down to a portrait of Queen Victoria. (8)When do you want us to stop?"

(1)One day a very (WEALTH) ________ American, Hiram Buston, came to Lacasso, a poor painter, and said that he had bought secretly, a (VALUE) ________ 16th century ‘old master’. (2)He said, “I know the English (GOVERN) ________ won’t let me take it out of England, but I have a plan to get round that. (3)I want you to paint a picture – it doesn't matter what it is – on top of the 'old master’.” (4)Hiram then explained that he could (EASY) ________ get Lacasso’s picture removed from the canvas when he got to New York, without (DAMAGE) ________ what was underneath. (5)Well, Lacasso painted a picture of a London gas-works on it, and old Buston got the canvas to New York all right and sent it to the firm he knew to have Lacasso’s (PAINT) ________ removed. (6)About a week later he got an e-mail from the firm. (7)It said: "We have removed the picture of London gas-works, also 'old master', and are now down to a portrait of Queen Victoria. (8)When do you want us to stop?"

(1)One day a very (WEALTH)________ American, Hiram Buston, came to Lacasso, a poor painter, and said that he had bought secretly, a (VALUE)________ 16th century ‘old master’. (2)He said, “I know the English (GOVERN)________ won’t let me take it out of England, but I have a plan to get round that. (3)I want you to paint a picture – it doesn't matter what it is – on top of the 'old master’.” (4)Hiram then explained that he could (EASY)________ get Lacasso’s picture removed from the canvas when he got to New York, without (DAMAGE)________ what was underneath. (5)Well, Lacasso painted a picture of a London gas-works on it, and old Buston got the canvas to New York all right and sent it to the firm he knew to have Lacasso’s (PAINT)________ removed. (6)About a week later he got an e-mail from the firm. (7)It said: "We have removed the picture of London gas-works, also 'old master', and are now down to a portrait of Queen Victoria. (8)When do you want us to stop?"

(1)One day a very (WEALTH) ________ American, Hiram Buston, came to Lacasso, a poor painter, and said that he had bought secretly, a (VALUE) ________ 16th century ‘old master’. (2)He said, “I know the English (GOVERN) ________ won’t let me take it out of England, but I have a plan to get round that. (3)I want you to paint a picture – it doesn't matter what it is – on top of the 'old master’.” (4)Hiram then explained that he could (EASY) ________ get Lacasso’s picture removed from the canvas when he got to New York, without (DAMAGE) ________ what was underneath. (5)Well, Lacasso painted a picture of a London gas-works on it, and old Buston got the canvas to New York all right and sent it to the firm he knew to have Lacasso’s (PAINT) ________ removed. (6)About a week later he got an e-mail from the firm. (7)It said: "We have removed the picture of London gas-works, also 'old master', and are now down to a portrait of Queen Victoria. (8)When do you want us to stop?"