Anatomical details of sharks? 8. The reason for becoming endangered?

A.Sharks have been swimming in the world's oceans for millions of years. They appeared on the Earth long before plants and primitive land animals inhabited the continents. Scientists have discovered evidence of sharks existing 450 million years ago, which means they predate the dinosaurs by 200 million years! Amazingly, these ocean creatures have not changed much for the last 100 million years, and modern sharks look pretty much the same as their prehistoric relatives.

B.The fact that sharks have survived for so long without changing very much is a good argument for their perfection, isn’t it? Sharks have no bones. Their skeletons are made of cartilage, a material that is lighter and more flexible than bone. Sharks breathe through special narrow holes located on either side of their bodies. The creatures have multiple rows of teeth, and when they lose teeth, new ones grow in, so you will never see a toothless shark. The shape of the body is perfect to move underwater and is well camouflaged – the upper side of a shark is generally dark to blend in with the water from above and their undersides are white or light grey to blend in with the lighter surface of the sea from below.

C.There are more than 400 known species of sharks living in our oceans today. They differ in size, diet and behaviour. The pygmy shark, is one of the smallest in the world and is only about 7–8 inches long, while the whale shark, the largest of its species, can grow to 65 feet in length and weight up to 75,000 pounds. The fastest sharks are shortfin mako, which can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Tiger sharks have dark stripes on their sides and have been not once reported in shark attacks .

D.In reality sharks very rarely attack people, and human beings have never been their favourite food. Normally sharks eat fish, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals and other sharks. Some shark species, like the great white shark, attack large animals like seals and sea lions, whilst others attack schools of fish and hunt in groups. Large sharks, like whale sharks and basking sharks, filter water through their large mouths to get plankton and krill. They often swim through the ocean with their mouths wide-open, consuming large quantities of tiny sea food. Most sharks are especially active in the evening and night, when they hunt.

E.Recent studies have shown that sharks are, in fact, very cleverly designed. Most sharks have an incredible sense of smell and can sense one drop of blood dissolved in as much as one million gallons of water. Many sharks can detect the minute electrical currents generated by the muscles of swimming fish. Some sharks can sense the tiny pressure variations generated by an injured fish struggling to swim from great distances. Contrary to popular opinion, most sharks have excellent low-light vision, thanks to a mirror located behind the retina^{^[4]}. This mirror reflects light through the retina a second time, giving them great vision.

F.Sharks are on the top of the food chain and have practically have no natural enemies. Still the shark population is under threat, but why so? Well, the biggest cause of shark endangerment is the myth about their fins^{^[5]}. There is a belief in some countries that shark fins are of a great medicinal and nutritional value, which is not true at all! They are, in fact, tasteless and contain neither vitamins nor any other valuable elements. Shark fin soup, however, is a part of Asian culture as a symbol of wealth (only very rich people could afford it in the past). Now the number of people who can afford it is rising and the shark population is rapidly falling!

G.However, as long as shark delicacies are in demand, it will be difficult to stop shark hunting. Many people believe the way they are hunted is outrageous! The meat of the shark is not valuable at all, which is why when the shark is caught only the fins are cut off, the rest of the shark is thrown back to the sea to die. This way, the fishermen save space on their boats for more fins. Of course, a shark cannot survive without fins, so it dies a slow and long death. Every year, millions of sharks are killed like this. If this inhuman and wasteful practice continues any longer, the eco-balance will be irreversibly changed.

Запишите в таблицу выбранные цифры под соответствующими буквами.

A	B	C	D	E	F	G

Ответ:

Прочитайте текст и данное после него краткое содержание. Заполните пропуски в предложениях (задания 105–111), вписав подходящие по смыслу слова из текста. Для каждого пропуска используйте только однослово из текста.

When we are young, our parents always tell us: “Your priority is education. Education gives you a good start in life. You need to focus on learning because it’s crucial for your future.” All this is true, education is important, but does this mean that when we graduate from college, we can forget about learning?

Definitely not! Fifty or sixty years ago, the education a student got in the college was everything he needed for the rest of his career, but it doesn’t work like this anymore. If you want a successful career today, you have to upgrade your skills regularly. Today’s trend is lifelong learning, and the number of people who consider themselves lifelong learners is rising rapidly.

Managing your own learning process is not easy - you have to understand what you need to learn, find time and motivate yourself, but it is worth the effort. Sometimes self-learning is even more fruitful than formal education. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, for example, ran their huge corporations without any formal education in business. They learnt all the necessary business skills by themselves. Another great example is Theodore Roosevelt. He found the skill of speed reading very useful and read thousands of books. Scientists and people of art were equally impressed by Roosevelt’s knowledge as he was well informed in different fields and could maintain a professional conversation about anything from the most complicated scientific theories, to the latest best-selling books. No doubt this ability to be interesting to people was the basis for his career as a successful politician.

Apart from making you an interesting and charismatic person, lifelong learning helps you live longer and keeps your brain healthy. Henry Ford said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

Recent research in the aging process confirms this point. According to their results, scientists believe elderly people who learn languages or new skills are several times less likely to develop diseases and can stay active much longer.

105Our life is changing rapidly. In the past, you could finish _____________ and forget about leaning forever. Nowadays, people have to keep learning if they want keep their jobs.

106As soon as you stop learning new things, you put your ______________ at risk.

Lifetime learners choose what they need to learn as they go and manage to achieve

107amazing results. Henry Ford, for example, never studied _______________at university, but successfully created a huge corporation.

108Theodore Roosevelt had great ______________in different areas.

He easily took part in conversations on any topic from art to science. It made him

109an extremely popular person and provided the _____________for his political career.

110Learning is also good from a medical point of view – it makes your _________________exercise and it can work longer.

Прочитайте тексты и установите соответствие между текстами и их заголовками: к каждому тексту, обозначенному буквами A–G, подберите соответствующий заголовок, обозначенный цифрами 1–8. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании есть один лишний заголовок.

111The results of ____________________prove that your body remains healthier too. 112

National food 5. The main educational institutions2. Famous people of the country 6. Builders and destroyers3. Places to visit 7. A tradition to be lazy4. You may like the entertainment 8. A huge country in the pastor not

A. Most people who’ve been to Spain want to return there again and again. And they have a good reason for this! The cities of Barcelona and Madrid are magnificent places where history goes together with modern life. If you happen to be in Spain, do not miss the Spanish national museum, the Prado in Madrid which tops the list of the country’s cultural attractions. For those who are interested in fine arts, Museo-Hospital de Santa Cruz is a must. It displays a fine collection of classic Spanish art, including many works by the famous painter El Greco.

B. The Spanish enjoy their colourful lifestyle. Their cooking traditions are very special and the dishes are very tasty. The Spaniards use lots of ingredients from different parts of the world. They came to Spain due to its complex history. The best-known Spanish dishes are probably paella, tortilla and gazpacho, but people who have been to the country would add many more to this list.

C. Apart from the unforgettable food, Spain can boast an intense cultural life. Not everything, however, is fully accepted by the locals and tourists. For example, everyone is charmed by flamenco, a passionate dance with castanets, hand clapping and guitar picking. Unlike flamenco, another national tradition, bullfighting, causes very mixed feelings and heated discussions. Some people say it is an old tradition and it should go on. Others see it as a cruel thing which should be banned.

D. Spain is a hot country. Probably due to the midday heat, it acquired its wellknown custom of "La Siesta", which has been loved by Spanish people for centuries. According to this custom, they take a long midday break to eat their lunch, relax, and even have a sleep. Schools, shops, and businesses close for several hours. Spanish people say the custom makes life relaxed and unites families, as nothing does this better than a family meal. However, nowadays the custom is dying out in big cities.

E. It’s difficult to believe now that, at one time, the Spanish Empire was the world’s most powerful empire. Its peak was in the 16th century when the country reached its highest military, political, and economic power. Later, Spain occupied new territories and in the 18th century became the largest empire in the world. It ruled lands in Europe, South, Central and North America and a number of Pacific Ocean archipelagos including the Philippines.

F. The traces of the Spanish superpower can be seen today on different continents. There are still lots of canals, roads, bridges, churches, schools, and other buildings that were built by Spanish engineers in the times of the Empire in Europe and America. However, a lot of local towns and villages, places of worship, and pieces of art were destroyed by the Spanish army and Spanish rulers.

G. There were many great scientists and explorers of Spanish origin. Amerigo Vespucci is one of them. Although he was born in Italy, Vespucci was a Spanish citizen and served Spain. It is believed that Amerigo Vespucci was the person who discovered the New World. In 1507 America was named after him. Another famous Italian-born servant of the Spanish Crown was Christopher Columbus.

Текст	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
Заголовок

Прочитайте текст. Определите, какие из приведённых утверждений 113-120 соответствуют содержанию текста (1 – True), какие не соответствуют (2 – False) и о чём в тексте не сказано, то есть на основании текста нельзя дать ни положительного, ни отрицательного ответа (3 – Not stated). В поле ответа запишите одну цифру, которая соответствует номеру правильного ответа.

Welcome onboard!

The tourist agency “Green Wind” is happy to invite you on an exciting boat trip across the lake, which will take place this Sunday.

This is a special project designed jointly by our agency and the environmental society. The main purpose of the event is to educate local people in environmental issues and problems in our region. Spend this Sunday with us and you’ll learn a lot about the nature and wildlife of the region. You will see spots which are not open to tourists but which are breathtaking.

The programme starts at 7am but all the passengers need to be on board at 6.50am. Prof. Stigg, who is the head of our mobile educational team, insists that the trip should not start any later as morning is the best time for bird-watching.

According to our programme, the first boat stop is close to the western bank of the lake. From there you will enjoy a wonderful view of the shallow waters where hundreds of swans, pelicans and geese stop for a rest when migrating to the North. You will have an opportunity to take memorable photos of these gorgeous birds. You will see them relaxing and hunting for the fish that inhabit the waters of the lake. Please remember to be quiet and not to use a flash when taking pictures in order not to disturb the birds.

Prof. Stigg and his team will tell you a lot of things about the birds that are not common knowledge. They will also explain to you the ecological problems and disasters we may face if measures to protect our local eco-systems are not taken immediately. After the bird-watching and the presentation you’ll be offered a short excursion and some educational activities on shore. After that you will get back on board where a hot lunch will be served for you. A snack bar and drinks will be available during the whole trip.

The whole tour and lunch is free for children and young people under 21 years old as well as for senior citizens. The snack bar charges average prices.

To reserve a place on the boat you have to call the local council education department. Please note that, for technical reasons, electronic registration is not possible for this event.

The trip will last for one day only.

1) True

2) False

3) Not stated

Ответ: