Examination Card №21

I. Reading
Like many other holidays Halloween has a long history. Over 2000 years ago the Celts celebrated their New Year's Day on the 1st of November. They believed that the night before the New Year was the time when the living and dead came together.

More than 1000 years ago November 1 was named All Saints (All Hallows) Day by the Christian church. The night before All Hallows was called Hallows Eve (later changed into Halloween). On that night people wore scary costumes to look like ghosts or other evil creatures.

The tradition of Halloween was brought to America by immigrants from Europe.

Nowadays it is mostly a fun day for children. Children dress up in costumes like people did a thousand years ago and go from house to house saying " trick or treat". The owner of each house gives a candy or something special to trick or treater.

II. Writing
Dear Mr Smith,
This is to inform you about our house rules. We are going to leave the key with our neighbour, Mrs Petrenko. She is a kind woman and can help when in need. By the way, she can speak English rather well as she is a former English language teacher. Use the home accommodation at your own convenience. The cleaner will come twice a week - Tuesday and Saturday, so don't worry about scrubbing the bath and cleaning the microwave oven.
Could you please, water the flowers three times a week? We'll be very thankful for this as summers have become really hot and dry lately. Before leaving the house please, check that the electricity is switched off and the window curtains are drawn.
Thank you for taking care of our flat. We promise to take care of yours.
Have nice holidays in Ukraine!
Kind regards,
the Shevchenkos

III. Speaking
Although schoolchildren often complain that school is boring and a waste of time, I think this is an exaggeration. In my view, the majority of the things we are taught in school are useful to us in many ways.

In the first place, school gives us general knowledge which helps us in our everyday life. My own experience has shown me that knowledge of subjects such as Geography and History, for instance, helps to understand what is happening in the world around me. Without this 'background' knowledge, the information in newspaper reports, TV documentaries and so on would mean very little to me. Secondly, such subjects as PT help us to keep fit and develop a good stamina. As for Art and Music they are just as important as English and Maths. Learning how to draw or play the musical instrument helps develop our creativity and imagination. In addition to this, subjects such as Art and Music can provide children with a well-rounded education rather than just basic skills.

Furthermore, some school subjects help you develop an interest in hobbies. In my case, I like to spend my free time surfing the Internet. I would find this much harder to do if I had not taken Computer Studies at school.

On the other hand, there are some subjects taught in school which seem to me to be a waste of time. I particularly dislike Algebra, for example, and I cannot see how memorising formulas and equations will ever be useful to me. However, I understand that you need basic maths for such daily chores as doing your shopping, or paying your bills.

To sum up, I believe that, with one or two exceptions, it is wrong to say that what is taught in schools is not worth learning. On the contrary, school gives us a very good basis for our understanding of the world.

(Taken from Successful Writing, Intermediate, by Virginia Evans)

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