Exercises

 Today, the very existence of human life on planet earth, along with the life of other flora and fauna is threatened up to a large extent by the pollution. Pollution affects everything essential for survival – natural resources, species, health etc.

When any external unwanted substance, generated by a human activity enters into the environment, it causes pollution. Causes of pollution are always human induced and the natural cause of pollution is almost negligible.

There are a number of human activities those cause pollution. Tons of toxic waste generated as a byproduct in factories is left into the rivers and streams, polluting them; thousands of cubic meters of harmful gases are released by transportation vehicles, polluting the air; improperly disposed waste from urban settlements, got strewn on land and water, resulting in land as well as water pollution.

Now that we have got an idea on what is pollution, we will move on to discussing some of the significant effects of pollution.

Exercises

 .Pardon me…, excuse me…, I am sorry… The meanings of these three English expressions in Armenian are expressed with one Armenian word «ներողություն», but do you know in which situations they are used? (2 points)

a) “How is your Dad doing?” “My Dad died five years ago.”

I am sorry, my condolences.

b) You spilled some wine on the hostess’s dress.

I am sorry.

c) You didn’t hear the last two words.

Pardon me (Pardon?)

d) Two people are talking together, and you want to ask them a question.

Excuse me…

II. What will you advise your friend to do if he/she says….? (2 points)

a) Whatever I do I can’t remember the new English words.

Try watching movies with english lunguage, it helps a lot.

b) I don’t know why I should go in for boxing instead of taking piano lessons.

You should follow your heart.

c) My grandfather needs to be operated on but he hasn’t got medical insurance.

You need to study hard to get a good job, to pay off the loans that you have to make.

d) Whatever I do my car won’t start.

Take it to the mechanic.

e) Ouch! I have cut myself.

You should have been more carefull.

f) Hi, John. I am phoning you to find out how I can come back to the hotel. I forgot the hotel name and now I am lost in the big city.

I have a better idea. Rent a bicycle and explore this big city.

III. If you could translate this sentence into Armenian so that it made a sense, I would appreciate your knowledge both in English and Armenian. (2 points)

The greatest trial of patience is hearing a stammering barrister examining a stuttering witness in the presence of a judge hard of hearing.

Համբերության ամենամեծ փորձը դա կակազող իրավաբանի կողմից կակազող վկայի քննումն է, վատ լսողություն ունեցող դատավորի ներկայությամբ:

IV. The Great Dane or The Dog’s Inspiration (a fable like story. I am the author of this story) (4 points) You can use a dictionary.

This may be a contrived story but it may also be a plausible one if you believe me.

One morning a Great Dane ran out of a block of flats. He looked around and then quickly rushed towards a tree. At that moment a dog of unknown breeding, dirty and gruesome, came out of a cellar, looked around and ran to the rubbish tube. The Great Dane ushered him with a reluctant glance. On seeing the new comer in his territory, the street dog ran up to him, and I overheard the following silent conversation between them. The street dog said,” You are of a high breeding. You are a Great Dane. You are clean and handsome, and I am dirty and repellent and still, I am sorry for you because you are not as free as I am. There isn’t any inspiration in your life.”  “How do you know that? If …”

“You are like a dummy, not a living being. Every day you only eat Pedigree when it is given to you, not when you want it. The choice is diminutive. You can’t have your own point of view. When you inhale, you wait for your master to tell you to exhale. You are constantly being haunted by your master who is also your owner, whereas I am free.”

“But I have got my own corner in a chamber in our flat, and if …”

“You have got only a corner in a chamber, whereas, all the cellars of all the blocks of flats in our district are mine. You have got only one master, whereas, I am loved by all the drunkards and children in this district. All the rubbish tubes are mine. I can make bets that my life is preferable to yours. Every day I have to come to terms with different dogs and in this way I enlarge my world outlook. I even have got a she-dog friend in my district. We love each other passionately. You are deprived of the right of free love. Your loving abilities, your feelings and sacred desires depend on your master’s will. That’s nonsense. I am really sorry for you. You can neither rub yourself on a tree nor run to the bushes when you feel like it. You are a prisoner. Your share in this life is patience. You are a caricature of a dog”. With these words the street dog threw a disdainful glance at the Great Dane and ran back to the rubbish tube which was full of sinister expectations. The Great Dane looked up for a moment and said, “ If all the ifs were pots and pans, life would be so simple.” With these words he marched into the block of flats and went up the stairs to the flat where his chamber was. Its tail was thin but firm and straight.

Now please try to analyze this fable like story as much as you can. (10 points)

The story puts a stong argument that people who don’t have much are not binded by it, and that people can live happily and freely without the lavish things. I acknowlege the main point of the story, however I do not fully agree with it. The poor may have certain kind of freedom, and may have certain experiences that rich people may never have, but it is incorrect to say that one of those experiences is better than the other, because in my opinion it entirely depends on the person. Maybe that person prefers riding a bicycle and adoring the world around him or he likes driving a super fast car on the highway. To choose one of them you need to prioritize your life, and how would you like to spend it.

Exercises

 Use the verb in the correct tense forms.

III. Finish these sentences using your own imagination.

The best way of making good relationships with other people is being a nice person.

Whenever I feel depressed, I listen to music or do sports, sometimes both.

The best way of refusing an invitation is being honest and nice about it.

Choosing a birthday present is sometimes hard, but it should come from the heart.

White lies are sometimes …(I am not familiar whith this expression)

Democracy is not perfect, but it does the job.

Being literate means to be able to understand any given discipline.

Sometimes it is difficult to believe that there will come a time that we will cease to exist.

Make the right choice

 Make the right choice 

1.Geysers have sometimes been compared to volcanoes __________ they both emit hot liquids from below Earth’s surface. 

1. despite 
2. because 
3. in regard to 
4. as a result of 

2.During the early period of ocean navigation, __________ any need for sophisticated instruments and techniques. 

A. so that hardly 

B. when there hardly was 

C. hardly was 

D. there was hardly 

3. Refrigerating meats ________ the spread of bacteria. 

1. slows 
2. slowing 
3. to slow 
4. is slowed 

4. The fact ________ credit cards are widely available has made them a popular form of payment. 

A. of 

B. that 

C. is that 

D. which is 

5. The Constitution gave the legislative branch of government ________ to pass laws. 

1. A. the power 
2. B. has the power 
3. C. the power is 
4. D. of the power 

Reading comprehension 

Read the text and choose the right answer (տողերը համարակալված են, որովհետև որոշ հարցեր ըստ տողերիհամարների են տրված) 

1. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the 
2. Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest 
3. and northernmost state in the United States, ending at 
4. a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from 
5. where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely 
6. complicated to operate. 
7. The steel pipe crosses windswept 
8. plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops 
9. the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons, 
10. climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags, 
11. makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or 
12. under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in 
13. diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million 
14. gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily. 
15. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called “bents,” long 
16. sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high 
17. above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of 
18. sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the 
19. surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline’s up-and- 
20. down route is determined by the often harsh demands 
21. of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of 
22. the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or 
23. permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more 
24. than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground. 
25. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet, 
26. depending largely upon the type of terrain and the 
27. properties of the soil. 
28. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost 
29. approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest 
30. and most expensive construction project ever 
31. undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single 
32. business could raise that much money, so eight major oil 
33. companies formed a consortium in order to share 
34. the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to 
35. particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid 
36. into the pipeline-construction fund according to the 
37. size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous 
38. problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment 
39. breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous 
40. terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and 
41. even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed 
42. and is operating. 
43. The passage primarily discusses the pipeline’s 
    1. A. operating costs 
    2. B. employees 
    3. C. consumers 
    4. D. construction 
44. The word “it” in line 5 refers to the 
    1. A. pipeline 
    2. B. ocean 
    3. C. state 
    4. D. village 
45. According to the second paragraph, 84 million gallons of oil can travel through the pipeline each 
    1. A. day 
    2. B. week 
    3. C. month 
    4. D. year 
46. The phrase “Resting on” in line 15 is closest in meaning to 
    1. A. Consisting of 
    2. B. Supported by 
    3. C. Passing under 
    4. D. Protected with 
47. The author mentions all of the following in the third paragraph as important in determining the pipeline’s route EXCEPT the 
    1. A. climate 
    2. B. lay of the land itself 
    3. C. local vegetation 
    4. D. kind of soil and rock 
48. The word “undertaken” in line 31 is closest in meaning to 
    1. A. removed 
    2. B. selected 
    3. C. transported 
    4. D. attempted 
49. According to the last paragraph, how many companies shared the costs of constructing the pipeline? 
    1. A. three 
    2. B. four 
    3. C. eight 
    4. D. twelve 
50. The word “particular” in line 35 is closest in meaning to 
    1. A. peculiar 
    2. B. specific 
    3. C. exceptional 
    4. D. equal 
51. According to the last paragraph, which of the following determined what percentage of the construction costs each member of the consortium would pay? 
    1. A. How much oil field land each company owned 
    2. B. How long each company had owned land in the oil fields 
    3. C. How many people worked for each company 
    4. D. How many oil wells were located on the company’s land 
52. Where in the passage does the author provide a term for a layer of soil that always remains frozen? 
    1. A. Line 4 
    2. B. Line 15 
    3. C. Line 23 
    4. D. Line 37