Этот грамматический тест - на умение ориентироваться во временных формах глаголов.
Тест на знание повседневной английской лексики
ARTICLES . EXERCISES.
Fill in a, an or the where necessary.
1. I’m looking for ____ job.
2. He must go to ____ bank to get some money.
3. Would you like ____ apple?
4. I’m going away at ____ end of this month.
5. He went to ____ prison to visit his brother.
6. Ann didn’t go to ____ work yesterday.
7. ____ rich should pay more taxes.8. We called ____ doctor.
9. That’s ____ nice pair of jeans.
10. The metro is ____ means of transport.
11. Can you hear ____ music?
12. Many people are afraid of____ dogs.
13. I’d like to have ____ piano.
14. ____ French are famous for their food.
15. ____ Sweden is in ____ northern Europe.
16. ____ Tower of London is ____ popular tourist attraction.
17. They gave me ____ information about flights.
18. What ____ interesting news!
19. ____ Alps extend over 1,000 kilometres.
20. ____ coffee is expensive nowadays.
21. She is very good at ____ painting.
22. ____ Prince lives in ____ palace in ____ London.
23. Newcastle is ____ town in ____ north of____ UK.
24. His favourite newspaper is ____ Guardian.
25. He went on ____ expensive holiday to ____ Bahamas.
26. ____ Statue of Liberty is in ____ New York.
27. ____ Hilton Hotel is situated near ____ River Thames.
28. ____ Tate Gallery is quite far from ____ Science Museum.
29. I have ____ appointment at ____ dentist’s because I’ve got ____ toothache.
30. We spent ____ last summer on ____ island of Crete.
31. My father owns ____ shop in ____ village where we live.
32. He has ____ sunstroke after spending too much time on ____ beach.
33. We went for ____ walk along ____ coast.
34. ____ tigers are dangerous.
35. Can you give me ____ book over there?
36. “There’s ____ Mr Smith waiting for you,” the secretary said.
37. I like watching ____ TV.
38. Turn off ____ television.
39. What ____ interesting book!
40. I have English five days ____ week.
41. Could you close ____ door, please?
42. I’m sorry. It was ____ mistake.
43. We live in ____ small flat near ____ city centre.
44. There’s ____ small supermarket at ____ end of ____ street I live in.
45. ____ sun is ____ star.
46. ____ moon goes round ____ earth every 27 days.
47. What is ____ highest mountain in ____ world?
48. I don’t usually have ____ lunch but I always eat ____ good breakfast.
49. If you live in ____ foreign country, you should try and learn ____ language.
50. We were on ____ wrong platform. We were on ____ Platform 3.
51. Every term ____ parents are invited to ____ school to meet ____ teachers.
52. Do many people go to ____ university in your country?
53. This is ____ small town but ____ university is ____ biggest in ____ country.
54. Nora works as ____ cleaner at ____ hospital.
55. My brother has never been to ____ hospital.
56. I like to read in ____ bed before I go to sleep.
57. When do you usually go to ____ bed?
58. It was ____ long voyage. We were at ____ sea for four weeks.
59. I’d like to live near ____ sea.
60. I like ____ people I work with.
I. Articles with of-phrases
An ‘of-phrase’ is a limiting attribute if it expresses the idea of ‘belonging’ (the roof of a house, the son of an admiral, the depth of the river, the eyes of a happy man); it is a descriptive attribute when it denotes the idea of ‘content, composition of something’ (a group of girls, a cup of tea, a sense of humour, an expression of sorrow). In the latter case the use of articles depends on other factors (the cup of tea that he gave me).
Exercise. Translate.
1. Дождь барабанил (drum) по крышам домов и стекал по стенам грязными потоками. 2. Неожиданно мы услышали звук шагов и веселый смех детских голосов. 3. На станции собралась толпа школьников; они ждали прибытия поезда. 4. Какова глубина реки и скорость течения? 5. Тигр – разновидность кошки, но присутствие тигра в доме вряд ли создаст атмосферу покоя и уюта, как это делает присутствие кошки. 6. Можно ли узнать высоту треугольника, если мы знаем длину его сторон? 7. Не могу сказать, что после этого на его лице появилось выражение огромной радости. 8. Он человек большого ума и глубокого чувства.
II. The generic article
When a noun in the singular represents the whole class of objects, it usually takes the definite article: The horse is a domestic animal. The indefinite article is often also possible in this case (A horse is a domestic animal), except when ambiguity may arise: The aeroplane was invented by the Wright brothers (‘an aeroplane’ would mean only one sample of the apparatus); Man is now conquering outer space (‘a man’ would rather denote one particular male person, not mankind). With the noun in the plural, the generic meaning is expressed by absence of articles (All men are mortal = people in general).
Exercise 1. Translate.
1. Привычки человека составляют важную часть его индивидуальности. 2. Что сыграло главную роль в процессе превращения (transformation) обезьяны в человека. 3. Писатель не должен стараться угодить (please) читателю. 4. Писателю всегда приятно получить письмо от читателя; 5. 20 век – век самолета, космического корабля и атома. 6. На самолете можно облететь земной шар за несколько часов. 7. Собака – друг и помощник (helpmate) человека. 8. Всегда ли учитель помнит, что перед ним не просто объект обучения, а человек? 9. Кто изобрел велосипед? 10. Можно ли сказать, что велосипед очень удобное средство передвижения?
Exercise 2. Use the proper article, giving variants where possible.
1. ___ wolf can run faster than ___ deer. 2. Those were methods hitherto unheard of in ___ theatre. 3. I was rather literary in college, now I was going to become again the most limited of all specialists, ___ ‘well-rounded man’. 4. ___ tiger is ___ dangerous animal. 5. After ___ primeval ape climbed down from ___ tree, its transition into ___ man became inevitable. 6. ___ man resembles ___ ape. 7. You can use ___ telephone when communication is, urgent. 8. ___ telephone was invented by the American engineer Bell.
III. Articles with Proper Nouns
Exercise 1. Use articles with geographical names.
1. ___ Pacific is much larger than ___ Arctic or ___ Indian ocean, 2. ___ Sahara is the biggest desert in ___ North Africa. 3. ___ Mont Blanc is the highest peak in ___ Alps. 4. ___ City of ___ London stands on ___ river Thames. 5. Is ___ Mississippi longer or shorter than ___ Rhine? 6. Portugal is a small country in ___ west of Europe; on one of its borders is ___ Spain, on the other ___ Atlantic Ocean 7. Who was the first to reach ___ North Pole? 8. ___ USA is the biggest country of ___ North America. 9. ___ Lake Ontario, or ___ Ontario, is one of the largest lakes in ___ north of ___ United States on the border with ___ Canada. 10. Greece is situated in ___ south of ___ Eastern Europe on the coast of ___ Mediterranean. 11. The official name of ___ Holland is the State of ___ Netherlands, or just ___ Netherlands; the latter word is used with an article because it literally means “low lands”. 12. The forests of ___ Eastern Siberia and of ___ Far East are the greatest forest resources in ___ east of ___ modern Russia. 13. ___ United Kingdom includes ___ Great Britain and ___ Northern Ireland; it occupies ___ British Isles. 14. In what country of ___ Northern Europe is ___ Hague situated? 15. The birthplace of our civilisation was the area situated between ___ Tiger and Euphrates rivers, which is now called ___ Middle East.
Exercise 2. Translate.
1. Вест-Индия это цепочка (chain) островов между Северной и Южной Америкой. 2. Аргентина получила свое название от латинского “argentum”, означающего “серебро”. 3. Эверест – высочайший пик в Гималаях. 3. Гаага – город в западной части Нидерландов, где заседает (sit) голландский парламент. 4. Вы бывали в Эрмитаже (Hermitage)? 5. Филиппины расположены в Юго-восточной Азии. 6. Пиренеи расположены на западе Испании. 7. На Кавказе горы моложе и выше, чем в Крыму. 8. Амазонка – самая крупная река в Южной Америке. 9. Кто первым пролетел через (over) Северный Ледовитый океан в Америку? 10. Египет расположен в северо-восточной Африке; его северная граница – Средиземное море, восточная граница – Красное море.
Exercise 3. Use the proper article with personal names.
1. ___ surgeon Barnard of South Africa was the first to perform a transplantation of the heart. 2. Are you talking about ___ writer Scott Fitzgerald or ___ jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald? 3. ___ music of ___ German composer Bach remained unknown to the general public for almost ___ century. 4. Husband and wife Curie made ___ great progress in ___ study of ___ nuclear physics. 5. Lots of children were brought up according to ___ system of ___ Doctor Spock. 6. ___ theory of conditioned reflexes was worked out by ___ academician Pavlov. 7. I’ll give orders about it to ___ Sergeant Brown. 8. He was ___ professor of English at ___ University of Texas. 9. What does ___ Professor Jones say about it? 10. When ___ uncle Podger was trying to hang the picture, it fell on ___ floor and ___ glass broke. 11. ___ father read to me ___ story of how ___ Brother Rabbit had outwitted ___ Brother Fox. 12. By the way, ___ uncle asked you to call him up about something important.
Exercise 4. Fill in articles where necessary; retell the story.
One day, when composer Beethoven was taking walk with poet Goethe, they noticed carriage of Archduke (эрцгерцог) of Austria approaching them. Poet at once stood aside and took off his hat, as was expected in presence of Royalty (член королевской фамилии). Composer, however, thought it good opportunity to show his independence, and, with his arms folded behind him, he marched straight forward, blocking way for imperial family. Although this showed complete lack of respect for highest authorities, result was not what Goethe had expected: Archduke not only made way for composer but even removed his hat, while his wife bowed to great musician.
Exercise 5. Fill in articles and comment on the use of proper names.
1. Within a short walk lived a family with whom ___ Bennets were particularly intimate. 2. ’The fact is they simply disliked all ___ Fosnachts’. ‘So what was the penalty for being ___ Fosnacht?’ – ‘I forget.’ 3. ___ Rubens, said Simpson, would be taken over to France, where it would pass into the millionaire’s possession. 4. Then there was also ___ Mr. Curie, of whom I could say nothing except that he had come down to discuss books with ___ Sir Ambrose. 5. You are not ___ Andrew Manson I married. 6. ___ impatient Granby called out to his companion. 7. He looked at himself in the glass. Here, then, was ___ modern Hercules – very distinct from that unpleasant naked figure with plenty of muscles, brandishing a club. 8. Can I then say that ___ America I have seen has put cleanliness first, at the expense of taste? 9. Aren’t you ___ Cicero, talking so finely! 10. Just note how different all these composers are – ___ touching Schubert, ___ graceful Mozart, ___ stormy Beethoven! And it is certainly hard to imagine ___ tragic Rossini or ___ light-minded Bach. 11. I happened to get ___ nicely illustrated Goethe the other day. 12. But it was ___ very subdued Rose who replied. And it was quite ___ frightened Rose who rang the bell.
Exercise 6. Translate.
1. Вас просит к телефону некий Петров. – А, это, наверное, Петров, с которым я встретился вчера в доме Павловых. 2. Крылова можно назвать русским Лафонтеном, а Лафонтена французским Эзопом – оба они переводили басни греческого поэта Эзопа. 3. Туземца (native), которого Робинзон Крузо спас от смерти, он назван Пятницей, так как это произошло именно в пятницу. 4. Что это за картина? – Мне кажется, это Рубенс. 5. Как истинный Форсайт, Джолион был рабом собственности. 6. В его интерпретации это был совсем иной Пушкин – такого Пушкина мы раньше не слышали. 7. О каком Толстом ты говоришь? – О Толстом, который написал “Петра Первого”. 8. Было трудно найти для Агнесс какую-либо параллель с классическими примерами: может быть, добросердечная Медея? Или Клеопатра с чувством долга? 9. Если ты рожден Эллиотом, ты рожден джентльменом, – так говорили Эллиоты. 10. Это был не тот Стэнли, которого все знали, а робкий и чувствительный Стэнли. 11. Он сейчас проживает, кажется, у некой мисс Браун. 12. В кипе книг на полу он нашел Шелли, в рваной бумажной обложке. Он осторожно поставил Шелли обратно на полку.
IV. Articles with Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns may in certain cases be used with the indefinite article. For names of material this is the case when a slight change of meaning takes place making the noun countable, e.g. “Gold is a metal” (= one of the class of metals); “I’ll give you a wine that you never tasted” (= a kind of wine); “I’ll get you an ice(cream)” (= one portion); “Two coffees, please” (= two cups). It is however more important to practise uses like “I prefer good red (dry) wine”; “Where can I get good ice-cream?”
Exercise. Use the proper article.
1. It is well known that the English can’t make ___ good coffee. 2. I daresay that was only ___ river water, but we didn’t know, so it was all right. We tried ___ river water once, later on in the season. We filled our kettle with ___ Thames backwater and boiled it. 3. The wolf-traps are made of ___ heavy steel. 4. ___ fat results from the combination of glycerol and fatty acids. It is ___ greasy substance which is ___ organic compound supplying ___ body cells with energy. ___ fat is usually in, soluble in ___ water. 5. One third of the Earth’s surface is ___ land and two thirds is ___ sea. 6. He landed his aeroplane on ___ water.
V. Articles with Abstract Nouns
The use of the indefinite article with an abstract noun may be the result of the noun becoming countable or may be a formal result of the use of a descriptive attribute with almost any abstract noun (exceptions are given below); e.g. The critic who has not a practical knowledge of technique is seldom able to say anything on the subject of real value (Steinbeck); A (good) knowledge of English is essential (Close); It was not a strength to be despised (Snow); No worries about the theatre, no plans, just peace, and forgetfulness, and a quiet slipping away into nothing (D. du Murier) (this last example clearly shows that the meaning of a process, or activity is intact, despite the presence of the article).
The use of the indefinite article in these cases is just a possibility rather than a rigid rule; cf. similar examples without an article: She said ‘good-bye’ with cold affability; She laughed with thrilling scorn; The last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; Her eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity; The baby came out in new beauty; They faded through a door into warm darkness; I tossed half-sick between grotesque reality and frightening dreams. The article is usually absent after the preposition ‘of’: a look of mild astonishment; a kind of quiet thoughtfulness, etc.
Moreover, some abstract nouns are known not to take an indefinite article even if there is a descriptive attribute. The most undoubted words in this group are: weather, news, information, advice, progress, work, permission, music, health, fun, luck. But even with these nouns, we cannot be too categorical, as there do occur uses, rare as they are, that violate the rule; e.g. “The Bishop told me of the goodwill mission on which he was travelling to Barcelona: ‘A very, very valuable work of clearance has been performed’” (E. Waugh); “They will be puzzled by getting from Beethoven not merely a music that they did not expect, but often an orchestral hurly-burly that they may not recognise as well as what they call music at all” (B. Shaw); “My father never allowed the men under him to visit a nature camp unless permission was asked of the head of the group, a permission only given then to exceptionally trusted people” (M. Gilmore). Nevertheless, the uses recommended for practising should be: “This is very valuable work”; “I like quiet music”, etc.
Exercise 1. Use the proper article.
1. ___ nature abhors (= fears) a vacuum. 2. ___ nature of ___ language is social. 3. This phenomenon is of quite ___ different nature. 4. Those eternal problems! When you don’t have any money, your problem is ___ food. When you have ___ money, it’s ___ sex. When you have both, it’s ___ health. If everything is simply fine, then you are frightened of ___ death. 5. People tell me that ___ clear conscience makes you very happy and contented; but ___ full stomach does the business quite as well (Jerome). 6. ___ history of the cup is evil; ___ violence and ___ blood and ___ evil passions have accompanied its possession; ___ evil will perhaps come to you in your turn. 7. I had lived ___ lonely childhood and ___ boyhood straitened by ___ war. 8. Yet it was, in ___ truth, ___ monstrous love such as I had never experienced before, ___ love out of such depths of self as monsters live in. 9. Miss Jenny was doing all the talking tonight, – ___ behaviour which was not like Miss Jenny at all. 10. I felt an unpleasantness in the air, ___ harshness that hadn’t been there before. 11. There was ___ wholesome bulkiness about his person and his position. 12. You have ___ strength of a woman in ___ prime of ___ life. 13. ’I should be glad to think so’, he retorted, with ___ sneer he made no attempt to disguise. 14. Oh, I know you think the young are selfish. So we are, perhaps, but it’s ___ clean selfishness.
Exercise 2. Translate.
1. Знания – сила. 2. У него хорошие знания по истории Англии. З. Не могу сказать, что у меня было безоблачное детство. 4. В чем преимущества образования? 5. Образование, которое дает этот университет, намного шире чем то, которое дают во многих других университетах. 6. Пространство и время это формы существования материи. 7. Сейчас не подходящее время для шуток. 8. Какая у вас короткая память! 9. Память можно улучшить, используя специальные упражнения. 10. Когда у тебя хорошее настроение, жизнь кажется прекрасной. 11. В старые времена существовал ужасный обычай наказывать того, кто принес плохие известия. 12. Какое ужасное невезение! 13. Тебе не на что жаловаться: у тебя есть интересная работа, и ты получаешь большие деньги. 14. Кататься на коньках – огромное удовольствие (fun). 15. Надеюсь, вы в добром здравии. 16. Ты делаешь большие успехи: у тебя хорошее произношение и довольно большой запас слов.
Exercise 3. Use the proper article.
1. He spoke lightly, but with ___ immense confidence. 2. The presence of ___ spiritual life is what distinguishes us from ___ mere animal existence; ours is, no doubt, ___ richer and more complex life. 3. And Butt was saying the other day that we’d get ___ real culture here. 4. It was sharply different from the West, where an evening was hurried from phase to phase toward its close, in ___ continually disappointed anticipation or else in ___ sheer nervous dread. 5. I realised that my friend was in ___ deep trouble. 6. ___ sudden emptiness seemed to flow now from the windows. 7. Pappy used to sing every word for its own value, and that was why it came over so well and with such ___ grace. 8. There was ___ pleasant significance in having been among the last to go. 9. It is unbelievably difficult to convince some people that they are in ___ grave danger – possibly from someone near and dear to them. 10. I realised that ___ intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon. 11. At this point Miss Baker said ‘absolutely’ with sSuch ___ suddenness that I started. 12. His smile was concentrated on you with ___ irresistible prejudice in your favour.
Exercise 4. Translate.
1. Его слушали в полном молчании, но это было молчание недоверия (mistrust). 2. У этого певца хороший голос, но плохой вкус, он часто выбирает вульгарную музыку и плохие стихи. 3. Я не люблю громкую современную музыку. Я предпочитаю старую классическую музыку, особенно музыку 18–19 века. 4. Он испытал странную радость, слышав это, – радость, смешанную с завистью. 5. Физическая география описывает климат и природные ресурсы страны, политическая география имеет дело с политическим устройством (structure) государства. 6. Русская история полна примеров борьбы народа и с захватчиками (invaders), и с тиранией (tyranny) своих собственных правителей (ruler). 7. Современное искусство включает в себя традиции классического европейского искусства и многое из национальных искусств других народов мира. 8. Хотя английская грамматика проще, чем русская, в целом английский язык – по средствам выражения – не беднее русского. 9. Культурный человек это тот, кто живет богатой духовной жизнью. 10. Древнегреческая философия включает в себя материалистическую философию (труды Демокрита) и идеалистическую философию (учение Платона).
Exercise 5. Insert articles where necessary.
1. Isn’t it ___ shame to take such ___ big amount of money for doing such ___ easy work? 2. What he did then brought only ___ shame on his family. 3. My son a thief? What ___ shame! 4. It was only ___ shame that he felt, not ___ pride, as he had expected. 5. He experienced ___ peculiar pleasure when he did mischief. 6. It gives me ___ great pleasure to tell you this news. 7. Lots of people cannot understand ___ pleasure of walking nude in ___ open air on ___ sunny day. 8. It is really ___ relief to have somebody to talk things over with. 9. It was not ___ relief that he felt now, but ___ embarrassment. 10. You are back at last! What ___ relief! 11. As many other prominent politicians, Churchill could not resist the desire to write ___ English History.
VI. Revision Exercises on Articles with Uncountable Nouns
Exercise 1. Use an article where necessary.
a) Amphibian is animal able to live both on land and in water. It must spend part of its life cycle in water, where its eggs are laid and fertilised. Eggs then develop into tadpoles (головастики) that have fish-like characteristics: breathing is by means of gills (жабры), blood is pumped by two-chambered heart, and swimming is by means of tail and body movements, made possible by muscles in body wall. Most amphibians undergo metamorphosis into lung-breathing adult with 3-chambered heart.
b) ‘Amoeba proteus’ is species most often studied. Species included in this subclass move by means of flowing extensions of flexible and amorphous body. Extensions also serve in food-catching. Most of species live in fresh water. Important role in maintaining water balance is played by organ designed to expel excess water from body. Food is temporarily stored in food-receptacle, where it is digested by action of enzymes (ферменты) – specific organic chemical substances formed in living cells.
c) Substances known as antibodies fight disease-producing agents. Antibody production is relatively slow process. First of all, body cells must recognise invading agent as ‘foreign’, and then produce antibody-to immobilise invader. Finally, blood cells must go into full scale production of this specific antibody. Antibody is specific against particular type of germ. For example: diphtheria antibody will not be effective against scarlet fever germs.
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE
