The most difficult language?

People often ask which language is the most difficult to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration.

A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different. The greater the differences between the second language and our first one, the harder it will be for most people to learn.

Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system. The pronunciation of Chinese appears to be very difficult for many foreign learners, too. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning this language will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet.

Some people seem to learn languages readily, while others find it very difficult. Teachers and the circumstances in which the language is learned also play an important role, as well as each learner's motivation for learning. If people learn a language because they need to use it professionally, they often learn it faster than people studying a language that has no direct use in their day-to-day life. British diplomats and other embassy staff have found that the second hardest language is Japanese, which will probably come as no surprise to many. But the language that they have found to be the most problematic is Hungarian, which has 35 grammatical cases.

Different cultures and individuals from those cultures will find different languages more difficult. In the case of Hungarian for British learners, it is not a question of the writing system, which uses a similar alphabet, but the grammatical complexity, though native speakers of related languages may find it easier.

2. The author explains why people find Chinese a very difficult language to learn. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What factors play an important role in learning a language?

4. Why do British diplomats find it difficult to learn Hungarian?

II. Listen to the boy speaking about football match and answer the questions below.

1. What sort of match did Tom play?

2. How did Tom’s team play during the match?

3. What was the result of the game?

The first time I played for the school football team was September 12th — I can’t forget the date! The day was wonderful and the weather sunny. I was 13 and I was wearing a new pair of football boots I got for my birthday. It was a home game and lots of people were watching, including my parents. I was playing in the mid-field position. My best friend John was the goalkeeper. I felt quite nervous at the start but I soon relaxed. The crowd were cheering and shouting. Ten minutes into the game, the other team scored a goal. John looked really unhappy. For the next thirty-five minutes, our team tried really hard to score a goal but we were unlucky. At half-time, our PE teacher, Mr Hunter, talked to us and told us to play even harder! Though our competitors were well-trained, we were very enthusiastic and tried to attack as often as possible. We were really tired in the second half but in spite of this we managed to score a goal! It was a fantastic moment. The game ended in a draw. I didn’t score a goal but that didn’t matter. I was part of the football team now — that was the most important thing.

III.

1. Let’s talk about a healthy way of life. What influences a person’s health?

2. Is home-made food better than junk food? Why?

3. What questions will you ask a fitness coach?

4. What activities can you advise a person who wants to have a healthy way of life?

5. Why is a balanced diet important for your health?

Билет №19

I.1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

MOBILE PHONES

From children to senior citizens, mobile phones have become a craze as a way of staying ahead with the technology. With our fast lifestyles, we have no time to meet our relatives or friends and are left with the only option of talking over the phone. Here comes the need of mobile phones, which allow us to stay connected wherever we are and whenever we need to.

Everybody today owns at least a basic mobile phone. What makes it easy to use is its user-friendly nature, small size and its numerous attractive features. However, people are always eager to replace their mobile phones with the latest models having more advanced features. As the technology is scaling new heights, mobile phones are becoming cheaper and cheaper and the customer is getting more for less. A great way of amusing yourself is by playing games on your mobile phone. If you want to store your precious moments, you can use its video recording feature. Mobile phones can become expressions of who we are by getting mobile ringtones, wallpapers, which turn your phone into a unique device.

Whatever may be said against mobile phones their advantages have always scored over their disadvantages. They have proved useful for every purpose. Nothing is as comfortable as a mobile phone for communicating over a distance. You cannot be present at the same time at more than one place, but if required you can just make use of your mobile phone and get your work done. Mobile phones have definitely become the most vital part of our lives. It is hard to imagine life without mobiles. Indeed, mobile phones keep you connected round the clock. They are now inexpensive, easy to use, comfortable and equipped with almost every latest feature you desire. Today, a technologically advanced mobile phone can perform as many tasks as well as that of a personal computer. Even remote countries have started having mobile phone services.

2. The author explains why people need mobile phones nowadays. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. What features can be found in modern mobile phones?

4. Why are mobile phones a vital part of our life?

II. Listen to Tina about a nasty experience she had and answer the questions below.

1. Who did Tina go to the skating-rink with?

2. What happened to her there?

3. How was she saved?

When I was eleven years old, I had an accident. I get scared even now when I think about it. I went ice-skating near my house. It was the first time that I’d gone ice skating, so I was nervous and I wasn’t sure how to skate.

I went with a friend who was very good at it, and she spent some time teaching me, but I didn’t make much progress. I think she got fed up with me, so she left and I went off skating by myself. As soon as she left, I fell over, then again and again. In the end I got bored, so I took off my skates and just walked around on the ice in my shoes.

Suddenly, I stepped on something that wasn’t hard. What was it? It was a weak place in the ice! When I stepped on it, the ice broke and I fell in — I sank under the ice. I struggled and struggled but couldn’t get out. I was getting very frightened. Then, fortunately a man came to help me. He grabbed my arms and pulled me up out of the water onto the ice. So I’m still alive today, but even now, whenewer I think about that time, I feel uncomfortable.

And I don’t want to go skating again.

III.

1. Let’s talk about sport. What do you do to keep fit?

2. Do you agree that bad habits, like smoking, can be dangerous? Why (not)?

3. What questions will you ask a professional sportsman?

4. What can you advise a person who doesn’t know what kind of sport to take up?

5. Sport develops character and team spirit. Can you add any other points in favour of sport?

Билет №20

I.1. Read the article and say in 2-3 sentences what it is about.

HOW I GOT TO THE TOP

I was either ten or eleven when I wrote my first song. I don't remember. My mum was struggling financially and emotionally, so I didn't talk a lot. Finally, she told me if I couldn't talk about what was bothering me, I should write about it. So she gave me a notebook, and my poems turned into lyrics.

I grew up in a very hardworking family. But we didn't have lots of money. I was the kid whom friends' parents bought Christmas presents for. One year, though, when I was in the sixth grade, my mom got a bonus at work, and instead of paying off bills, she bought me a CD player and four CDs. I eventually got several college music scholarships but passed on them to move to Los Angeles in 2001. Everyone thought I was crazy to do it, but I moved to California anyway and got work singing backup. A friend and I lived in a house with some other people, and we finally saved enough money to get our own place. The day we moved into our apartment, the building burned down. I stayed in my car for a few days so I could get enough money to drive back to Texas. When I got home, a friend told me about the American Idol audition in Dallas.

Looking back on the show, I find it strange going back and performing on Idol last spring. Everyone was always supportive and nice. But I think they were so nice because no one thought I was going to win. Members of the crew came up to me after the finale and told me they didn't think I could have won. I recently gave a self-esteem workshop for Girl Scouts in Nashville, and I told the girls that I wasn't a role model for my weight. Sometimes I'm thicker when I'm around my family and I'm eating more. Sometimes I'm thinner because I'm on the road and that takes a lot out of me. But I do feel it's important to talk to girls about weight. They see these images, and there's no way they'll ever live up to them.

Everyone says I'm down-to-earth. It would be very hard for me to keep up any sort of celebrity persona. It's just not me. I'm comfortable in my skin. I'm outspoken. I don't know any other way to be.

2. The author explains what made her write songs. Find this extract and read it aloud.

3. Why were all the people nice to her during the show?

4. What did she talk to Girl Scouts in Nashville about?

II. Listen to Ann speaking about a holiday that went wrong and answer the questions below.

1. What holiday did Ann want to have?

2. What problems did she have to face?

3. What decision did she make in the end?

Ann: Last year I went on a walking tour along the coast of the Baltic Sea. I was fed up with the idea of lying on the beach; what I wanted was an active holiday. The first day was pretty good. I walked for about 7 hours. And in the evening I got to the place where I planned to spend the night, it turned out that there was not a single bed free. I had to sleep out on the beach. The second day started with heavy rain, so my things got very wet. On the third day I began to have problems with my shoes. My feet hurt so much that I had to take a bus to the nearest town to buy some other shoes. When I was there I accidentally met an old friend. She invited me to her holiday home, but I refused.

Next day, though, there wasn’t only a problem with my shoes (I mean the new ones), but also another worry: there was no way to go! The road along the shore was blocked for some reason. That time I decided to call my friend. She said happily, “Great! We’ll be lying on the beach, sunbathing and doing nothing!” Well, I must say I quite liked the idea.

III.

1. Let’s talk about fashion. What style in clothes do you prefer and why?

2. Do you follow the latest fashion trends? Why (not)?

3. What questions would you ask a fashion designer?

4. What can you advise a person who wants to change something about his/her style but doesn’t know how to do it?

5. They say that young people pay a lot of attention to their style and want to be fashionable. What do you think about it?