Examination Card №16

I. Reading
The text tells about a talk between mother and daughter and the feelings of a girl towards her mum. They were sitting in the small college cafe drinking lemon tea and talking about the events of the past four months of their lives. Of course, they had talked on the phone and occasionally written. The girl's mum had always been her friend to whom the girl came with every tear and every laugh. In both happy and sad moments her mum understood, supported and believed in her. They rarely had late-night talks or early-morning ones, but in between the busy hours of their filled days, they found the time to fill each other's ears with stories and hearts with love. They shared experiences and hopes, frustrations and fears. They continued to learn about each other and grow closer. Their relationship was like the tea that they had sipped: the longer it steeped, the better it tasted.

II. Writing
Dear Harry,
I was sorry to hear that you are in hospital. Luckily, it's just the quinsy. I know that being in hospital is quite boring. You are not allowed to go for a walk, and sometimes don't know what to do with your time. Can I be of any help? As you have your laptop with you, we can talk via Skype! I'll give you a ring when I come home after my lessons.
I hope that you'll recover soon. Cheer up!
Denys

III. Speaking
Isn't that unfortunate that more and more children enjoy playing computer games? Although the popular opinion would make people believe that computer gaming is a predominantly solitary activity during which children spend large amounts of time by themselves and are so absorbed in gaming that it has a negative affect on their self-esteem and socialisation, recent studies have found that, on the contrary, computer games actually have many advantages for a child's social, emotional and even intellectual development.

The results revealed that children preferred to play in pairs or small groups rather than by themselves. Through gaming in this way children learn how to work as part of a team, to plan, negotiate, explore and to come up with different strategies and techniques. This is something that the teachers involved in the study believed is hugely beneficial to a child's learning development and something that is hard to replicate in the classroom.

And it wasn't just teachers who noticed the benefits! Parents did too, claiming that skills such as hand-eye co-ordination, logical thinking and computer literacy were evidently improving in children. Even more academically based skills such as maths, reading and spelling were noted to be developing through game playing. However, as well as having many advantages, computer games also present some disadvantages. To start with, video games can be very hazardous to those suffering from serious illnesses such as epilepsy, and for almost everybody if played for excessive periods of time. Children can suffer from sleep deprivation, emotional excitement, or hand movements. Also, the effects it can also have on a child's health include eyestrain, headaches, fatigue, repetitive strain injury, and so on. Such effects on health can prevent children from being able to concentrate fully at school and could therefore potentially jeopardise their educational development and consequently their future.

All things considered, James Paul Gee, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, insists that video gaming can actually benefit a child's education. The big dilemma here then, is for how long is it acceptable to let children play video games, so as not to hinder their health and education, but instead to help it? It is for kids and their parents to decide how to wisely use the things that modern technology offers.

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