составить 4 общих вопроса и 4 альтернативных к тексту «Every single night of the year, around 1,200 people sleep rough on hard benches and in grubby doorways on the streets of various English cities. Jasmine, twenty-two, is one of them. At first, huddled in a door entrance asking passers-by for money, she is reluctant to open up, but then she begins to talk. This is her story… “I’ve been living on the streets ever since I was sixteen years old, when I ran away from my foster home. My parents died when I was very young so I went into foster care. It wasn’t so bad but I wanted to make it on my own. I stayed on friends’ couches at first, but eventually their parents grew tired of having me around. So, I caught a train to London, thinking that it would be easier to survive in the big city. How wrong could I be! I tried to find a job but no one would take me on without a fixed address. I slept in a cheap В & В for a few nights, but then my money ran out and I spent my first night in a sleeping bag on a park bench. I’ll never forget how alone I felt that night. I lay awake, terrified and shivering with cold. Living rough, you sort of go back and forth between temporary accommodation and the street. I spend the odd night in a hostel for homeless people, and there are loads of squats around the city centre too. These are usually in abandoned houses, empty office buildings, disused warehouses, places like that. Usually you share a cramped little room with around fifteen others. Some of these people are drug addicts or alcoholics, and usually the room’s filthy and there’s no running water or electricity. But at least it’s a roof over your head, which can mean the difference between life or death when there are sub-zero temperatures outside. On the streets, the cold eats into your bones. I have my favourite doorways and I try to stick to busy, well-lit streets. Sometimes traffic fumes almost choke me, the noise is deafening and there’s no privacy whatsoever. But that’s a small price to pay for safety… So how do I survive? Well, the government gives people like me money, but it’s barely enough to eat. I just about make ends meet by begging, selling “The Big Issue” … whatever I can really. I hate asking for money from people. Some take pity on me and toss me a few coins or buy me a sandwich or a hot drink. But most just rush past me and avoid looking me in the eye. They just want to get back to their posh houses in the suburbs, you know. Basically, you lose your identity, your dignity, everything, on the streets. It’s so boring not having a job, having nothing to do during the day, until one of the soup kitchens opens in the evening. It destroys your soul. I don’t know what the future holds. Homelessness is a vicious circle that is very difficult to break out of. It’s very hard to get work, because no one takes you seriously, and then you lose your confidence and your self-esteem and it becomes even harder. I’m on a council waiting list for a flat though. I want nothing more than to have a place of my own one day. A place that I can call home.”
Many hundreds of years ago, a Native American chief named Shenandoah lived with his people (?) in what is now the state of Virginia. Very little is known about Shenandoah, but the soft sound of his name was given to a river. The Shenandoah River still flows in a deep valley between the mountains in West Virginia, just as it did when Chief Shenandoah lived. There is an old Native American story which tells how the river got its name.
A long time ago, many centuries before Europeans settled in America, there was a great lake of sparkling blue water hidden in the mountains of Virginia. For hundreds of years Native American people lived near this lake, feeding on the fish they caught in its clean waters. The Native Americans often climbed up the mountains and camped there during their long hunts for food. In the evenings they would sit near their camp and look down at the beautiful lake. On a clear, starry night you could see thousands of stars shining and dancing on the water below. The Native Americans loved this lake, and because they could see the stars in it they called the lake, “Clear Daughter of the Stars.” In their language, the word for this was “Shenandoah.”
When Allan got to the airport, the airport official said: “I’m sorry, sir, but your plane has taken off. You will have to take the next flight. You will arrive in New York at about midnight.” Allan was very upset: “I must be in New York at 6pm. I have a job interview there. I can't miss it. It’s the best job in the world. Thousands of men and women dream of such a job.” The airport lady said nothing and turned to another passenger. Allan wanted to ask her about other possible options, but she looked very busy so he stepped aside. Allan didn't know what to do. He realized that he had to call the company manager and tell him that he would not come. For the first time in his life Allan felt really disappointed. There probably wouldn't be a second chance for him. He pulled out his notebook. The time of the interview was written there: 6pm, Tuesday. Allan looked at his digital watch and read: 2pm, Monday.
I live in a little village and feel very happy about it. Although some people may think that life in the country is boring I have many reasons to disagree. First, we enjoy beautiful nature here. There’s a large clear lake near the village and fishermen from the nearby city come every weekend. My friend from the city was really surprised to find out how much fish we have here. He said that most lakes are poisoned nowadays and there's no fish there. It is true that scientific progress does people lots of good but it ruins nature too. If not controlled, it can be dangerous for all of us.
Philip didn’t like autumn. When the teacher told the class about the trip to the country to see the house of a famous writer, he didn’t feel happy at all. Fortunately, it didn’t rain on the day of the trip. When they arrived, they saw a nice wooden house in a large park. In fact, the park was the main attraction of the place. It was very beautiful in autumn with its trees in different colours.