Why I sent Oxford a rejection letter

Вариант № 439916

1.Вы услышите 6 высказываний. Установите соответствие между высказываниями каждого говорящего A–F и утверждениями, данными в списке 1–7. Используйте каждое утверждение, обозначенное соответствующей цифрой, только один раз. В задании есть одно лишнее утверждение. Вы услышите запись дважды.

1. The speaker feels unhappy about changes in her/his former classmates.

2. The speaker thinks that uniforms give students a tidier look.

3. The speaker is unhappy with his rich classmates’ attitude to expensive gifts.

4. The speaker says that his school building is inconvenient because of its size.

5. The speaker says that students prefer casual clothes to school uniform.

6. The speaker thinks it depends on the person what type of school is better for her/him.

7. The speaker thinks private school gives better opportunities to study different subjects.

Говорящий	A	B	C	D	E	F
Утверждение

Задание 1 № 84

2.Вы услышите диалог. Определите, какие из приведённых утверждений А–G 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). Занесите номер выбранного Вами варианта ответа в таблицу. Вы услышите запись дважды.

A. Mrs Fusspot would like to sell her old house.

B. Mrs Fusspot wants to move house as soon as possible.

C. Mrs Fusspot is very fond of her neighbours.

D. The cottage is not far from important services.

E. Mrs Fusspot doesn't have the extra 20,000 pounds.

F. The cottage has two bedrooms and a patio.

G. Mrs Fusspot will see the cottage on the following day.

Запишите в ответ цифры, расположив их в порядке, соответствующем буквам:

A	B	C	D	E	F	G

Задание 2 № 3225

3.Вы услышите репортаж дважды. Выберите правильный ответ 1, 2 или 3.

The Portobello Festival differs from festivals in Cannes and Venice as it

1) is running its second season only.

2) is not so fashionable and well-known.

3) does not attract celebrities.

Задание 3 № 385

4.Вы услышите репортаж дважды. Выберите правильный ответ 1, 2 или 3.

The festival was initially founded to

1) let independent filmmakers demonstrate their work.

2) help different filmmakers earn money.

3) advertise video equipment but not to show films.

Задание 4 № 386

5.Вы услышите репортаж дважды. Выберите правильный ответ 1, 2 или 3.

According to the festival’s director they made the festival free because

1) they get enough money for placing advertisements.

2) there are no expensive prizes and launch parties.

3) sponsors and funds provide good financial support.

Задание 5 № 387

6.Вы услышите репортаж дважды. Выберите правильный ответ 1, 2 или 3.

One characteristic feature of the Portobello Festival is that

1) 700 films are shown each festival season.

2) only short films are chosen for the festival annually.

3) student films are shown together with professionals’ works.

Задание 6 № 388

7.Вы услышите репортаж дважды. Выберите правильный ответ 1, 2 или 3.

The festival’s director believes that their films are

1) of better quality than TV films.

2) worthy to be shown on TV.

3) the world’s top hits.

Задание 7 № 389

8.Вы услышите репортаж дважды. Выберите правильный ответ 1, 2 или 3.

The famous filmmaker whose first film was shown at the festival is

1) John Malkovich.

2) Guy Ritchie.

3) Jonathan Barnett.

Задание 8 № 390

9.Вы услышите репортаж дважды. Выберите правильный ответ 1, 2 или 3.

Speaking about future plans, the festival’s director

1) thinks the festival will be united with Glastonbury or Edinburgh events.

2) believes the festival should turn to other arts mostly.

3) sounds optimistic about the festival extension.

Задание 9 № 391

Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Запишите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний.

1. Look to your past

2. Health benefits of hobbies

3. Finding a hobby that suits you

4. Dangerous hobby

5. Time out with a purpose

6. Finding time for your hobby

7. Making new friends

8. Finding excitement

A. Hobbies provide work-free and responsibility-free time in your schedule. This can be especially useful for people who feel stressed by all that they have to do and need to recharge their batteries. For some of us it may be difficult to give ourselves permission to just sit and relax. Having a hobby, however, can provide a break and help people feel that they’re not just ‘sitting around’ but are using their free time for something productive.

B. Are there things you enjoyed as a child that you might still enjoy as an adult? Maybe you had a fantastic record collection, loved to make clothes for your dolls or were always out on your bike. Those are all things you could pick up again as an adult that would make great hobbies. Or there may be hobbies in your home right now that you started but have recently forgotten about. Maybe it’s time to finish that crochet project or pick up the guitar again.

C. If you’re adding a new thing into your life, you have to take time and focus away from something else. The good news is that most of us have a lot of time we’re not using well, either because we’re spending a lot of time online or watching TV or just wasting time we could be spending on our hobbies. See if you can spend a half hour or so every other day to explore your interest. This way it would be best in case you find that hobby isn’t for you after all.

D. Of course, everyone is different and your personality does play a role in what sorts of hobbies you’ll like. If you don’t have a lot of patience you might feel that knitting is too much for you, but exploring quick sewing projects might be a better choice. Maybe you really like being with friends, so you need to take a class or have an interest that you can do with a group. If you travel a lot, something portable or that you can do anywhere is helpful.

E. One study found that those who engage in physical leisure activities for at least 20 minutes once a week are less likely to have a fatigue. Other research found that enjoyable activities performed during leisure time were associated with lower blood pressure, total cortisol, and body mass index, and feelings of better physical function. Such activities were also associated with higher levels of positive psychosocial states and lower levels of depression.

F. When you look for material or equipment for your hobby, you are likely to find people who have the same hobby as you. You may be surprised to know how serious some people are about their hobbies and therefore would have great knowledge of their chosen pastime. Instead of meeting people from your work or college or those whom you have grown apart with, it is a great way to meet people with whom you have something in common.

G. For those who aren’t very stressed and may actually be understimulated, hobbies provide a nice source of eustress, the healthy kind of stress that we all need to remain feeling happy about life. If the rest of your life is somewhat dull or uninspiring, hobbies can provide meaning and fun, and can break up a boring schedule, without feeling like work. In other words, hobbies can provide just the right amount of challenge.

Текст	A	B	C	D	E	F	G
Заголовок

Задание 10 № 3338

11.Прочитайте текст и заполните пропуски A–F частями предложений, обозначенными цифрами 1–7. Одна из частей в списке 1–7 — лишняя. Занесите цифры, обозначающие соответствующие части предложений, в таблицу.

Friendship and Love

A strong friendship takes a significant amount of time to develop. It will not just magically mature overnight. A friendship involves committing oneself to help another person A ______ . I believe that, nothing can replace a true friend, not material objects, or money, and definitely not a boy.

I met this guy a couple summers ago who I ended up spending almost all of my free time with. His parents did not approve of our dating because of our age difference, В ______ . He had told me the day we met that he had joined the air force and would leave for overseas that coming October. After three months had past, the time came when he had to leave. This left me feeling completely alone.

I turned to my friends for support, but to my surprise, С ______ . I had spent so much time with this guy and so little time with them, that they did not feel sorry for me when he left. For so long they had become the only constant in my life, and I had taken them for granted over something D ______ .

When my boyfriend came back, our relationship changed. I tried to fix all the aspects in my life that had gone so wrong in the previous six months.

This experience taught me that true friendships will only survive if one puts forth effort to make them last. Keeping friends close will guarantee that E ______ . When a relationship falls apart, a friend will always do everything in their power to make everything less painful. As for me, I try to keep my friends as close as I can. I know they will always support me in whatever I do, and to them, I F ______ .

1. but we did anyway.

2. whenever a need arises.

3. they did not really care.

4. whenever they need your help.

5. could not guarantee would even last.

6. am eternally grateful'for a second chance.

7. someone will always have a shoulder to cry on.

Пропуск	A	B	C	D	E	F
Часть предложения

Задание 11 № 316

12.The email letter the author sent to Oxford was meant to be ...

1) regretful.

2) desperate.

3) respectful.

4) mocking.

Задание 12 № 1864

Why I sent Oxford a rejection letter

A little over a month ago, I sent Oxford a rejection email that parodied the thousands that they send each year. Much to my surprise, it has become a bit of an Internet hit, and has provoked reactions of both horror and amusement.

In my letter I wrote: "I have now considered your establishment as a place to read Law (Jurisprudence). I very much regret to inform you that I will be withdrawing my application. I realize you may be disappointed by this decision, but you were in competition with many fantastic universities and following your interview, I am afraid you do not quite meet the standard of the universities I will be considering."

I sent the email after returning from my interview at Magdalen College, Oxford, to prove to a couple of my friends that Oxbridge did not need to be held in awe. One of them subsequently shared it on Facebook because he found it funny.

I certainly did not expect the email to spread as far as it has. Varying between offers of TV interviews and hundreds of enthusiastic Facebook messages, it has certainly been far-reaching. Many of my friends and undoubtedly many strangers were unable to comprehend that I'd sent such an email to this bastion of prestige and privilege. Why was I not afraid of damaging my future prospects as a lawyer? Didn't I think this might hurt my chances with other universities?

For me, such questions paint a picture of a very cynical society. I do not want to study law because I want to be rich, or wear an uncomfortable wig and cloak. Perhaps optimistically, I want to study law because I am interested in justice.

To me, withdrawing my application to an institution that is a symbol of unfairness in both our education and the legal system (which is so dominated by Oxbridge graduates) makes perfect sense, and I am reluctant to be part of a system so heavily dominated by such a narrow group of self-selecting elites.

So, why did I apply in the first place? If you're achieving high grades at A-level (or equivalent), you can feel quite a lot of pressure to "prove yourself' by getting an Oxbridge offer. Coupled with the fact that I grew up on benefits in council estates throughout Bristol - not a type of heritage often associated with an Oxbridge interview -1 decided to give it a try.

It was only at the interview that I started to question what exactly I was trying to prove. I was well aware that fantastic candidates are often turned down, and I did not believe that this was a true reflection of their academic potential.

Although I share concern that not going to Oxbridge gives you a "chip on your shoulder", I did not write to Oxford to avoid the risk of being labeled as an "Oxbridge reject": I already am one. Last year I made an (admittedly weak) application to Cambridge and was inevitably rejected post-interview.

A year ago, I was in awe of the beautiful buildings of Oxbridge, but today I am in awe of the sheer number of people who, like me, have managed to not take it so seriously. Ultimately, I am not harming Oxford by laughing at it, and it is an amazing feeling to realize that so many people are enjoying my email. Actually, I was amazed to know how many people of different ages bothered to read it and even to leave their comments about it in Facebook. I had fun reading some of them, too.

13.The letter caused so much response because people ...

1) fully agreed with the message.

2) found the topic very interesting.

3) wanted to defend Oxbridge.

4) were outraged with the letter.

Задание 13 № 1865

14.The author accuses society of cynicism because ...

1) people seem to be more worried about reputations.

2) people supported Oxbridge.

3) lawyers do their job for high incomes.

4) universities are very selective.

Задание 14 № 1866

15.Judging by paragraph 7, the author comes from a family which is ...

1) aristocratic.

2) educated.

3) not very rich.

4) big.

Задание 15 № 1867

16.The author believes that the selection to Oxbridge ...

1) is unfair.

2) reveals candidates' abilities.

3) needs improvement.

4) is hard to understand.

Задание 16 № 1868

17.The expression «chip on your shoulder» in paragraph 9 means ...

1) reflection of one's potential.

2) feelings of unfair treatment.

3) below-average performance.

4) record of achievements.

Задание 17 № 1869

18.«It» in «have managed to not take it so seriously» in the last paragraph refers to ...

1) Oxford.

2) Oxbridge rejection.

3) university studies.

4) university interview.

Задание 18 № 1870

19.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово «BUILD» так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста.

Souvenirs From the Past

The lands of southern England have always been associated with mystery. Pre-historic sites like Stonehenge are souvenirs from the past ______by civilizations we still know very little about.

Задание 19 № 3303

20.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово YOUNG так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста.

She became the ____________ female to ever receive a patent in the United States.

Задание 20 № 1974

21.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово CLOSELY так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста.

When they investigated the circles _______ , they found that the circles had been cut into the land.

Задание 21 № 3305

22.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово FREEZE так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста.

This region can be called the land of ______ rivers.

Задание 22 № 872

23.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово DESIGN так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста.

The structure __________________ by the architectural team of David Marks and Julia Barfield, husband and wife.

Задание 23 № 3197

24.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово THEY так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста.

Students in Japan get __________________ vacation in late July and August. School then begins again in September and ends in March.

Задание 24 № 3247

25.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово BECOME так, чтобы оно грамматически соответствовало содержанию текста.

It ______ a tradition for husbands to do all house work on that day. There are many jokes about it being the only day of the year when they do this.

Задание 25 № 415

26.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово INVENT так, чтобы оно грамматически и лексически соответствовало содержанию текста.

Morse Code

Before phones, computers, and telegraphs were invented, messages would take months or even years to reach their destination. Samuel Morse was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in April 1791, not knowing that he would be a famous ____________.

Задание 26 № 2302

27.Преобразуйте, если это необходимо, слово NATURE так, чтобы оно грамматически и лексически соответствовало содержанию текста.

Twelve National Parks are freely accessible to the public and were created to conserve the __________________ beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage they contain.

Задание 27 № 1751

28.Образуйте от слова COLLECT однокоренное слово так, чтобы оно грамматически и лексически соответствовало содержанию текста.

The character was popularized (but not invented) by John Arbuthnot’s _______ of satirical pamphlets The History of John Bull, published in 1712.

Задание 28 № 3312

29.Образуйте от слова SLEEP однокоренное слово так, чтобы оно грамматически и лексически соответствовало содержанию текста.

Pythons and bats are among the longest ______ at over 18 hours a day.

Задание 29 № 741

30.Образуйте от слова VICTORY однокоренное слово так, чтобы оно грамматически и лексически соответствовало содержанию текста.

She represents Britain as a ______ maritime nation.

Задание 30 № 3314

31.Образуйте от слова VISIBLE однокоренное слово так, чтобы оно грамматически и лексически соответствовало содержанию текста.

They also made __________________ and glow-in-the-dark inks.

Задание 31 № 2492

32.Вставьте пропущенное слово:

1) about

2) to

3) off

4) on

Задание 32 № 537

Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32 – 38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Укажите номер выбранного вами варианта ответа.

DANIEL’S VACATION

Daniel sailed out of Southampton on the Queen Mary that evening with his mother waving from the dockside. It was nice to have someone to see him 32 ______ , someone who cared about him. Daniel showed his passport to a ship’s officer at the gangplank and walked up into the ship. On deck, a steward looked at his ticket and directed him to his 33 ______. It was small but quite comfortable. He was excited as a child about his first trip abroad. While on board the great liner he wrote a long letter to his parents, which he posted five days later from Fifth Avenue. Early the following morning he purchased a ticket at a 34 ______ agency for a Pullman to Chicago. The train pulled out of Penn station at eight the same night, Daniel having spent a total of six hours in Manhattan where his only other purchase was a guide book of America. He couldn’t 35 ______ thinking about his parents. His parents didn’t know that he was going to Australia. They were sure he was going to spend his holidays in the USA.

Once the express had 36 ______the station, the Pullman carriage was attached to the super Chief which took him all the 37 ______ to San Francisco. Whenever the train pulled into a new station Daniel would leap off, buy a colourful postcard that indicated exactly where he was, fill in the white space with yet more information gained from the guide book before the train started to move. He would then post the filled-in card at the following stop and repeat the process. By the time the express had arrived 38 ______ Oakland station, San Francisco, Daniel had posted twenty-seven different cards back to his parents in the Little Boltons.

33.Вставьте пропущенное слово:

1) compartment

2) cabin

3) carriage

4) suit

Задание 33 № 538

34.Вставьте пропущенное слово:

1) travel

2) trip

3) journey

4) voyage

Задание 34 № 539