ДЗИ по английски език

МИНИСТЕРСТВО НА ОБРАЗОВАНИЕТО И НАУКАТА

ДЪРЖАВЕН ЗРЕЛОСТЕН ИЗПИТ ПО АНГЛИЙСКИ ЕЗИК

23 май 2018 г. – Вариант 1

12^и клас - Английски език - Външно оценяване

Read the following text and mark the correct answer for questions 1. to 6.

This year the computer mouse is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was half a century ago, in 1968, that computer visionary Douglas Engelbart showed off his new invention to an audience of one thousand people at a technology conference in California. They also witnessed the very first public demonstration of the personal computer.
At the time, no one called the mouse ‘a mouse’. The revolutionary ‘position indicator’, as it was registered in the Patent Office, was made of wood, had two wheels built into the bottom, and a single red button on top. It was originally designed to highlight text on a written document. Engelbart impressed onlookers very much by demonstrating how text could be selected, copied and pasted. Engelbart’s team members nicknamed the device ‘mouse’ because it resembled the rounded body of the rodent of the same name, with the cord just like a mouse’s long tail. Years later Engelbart said he always wondered why the term ‘mouse’ was never changed into a more technical word after it became a commercial success.
Today computer mice or mouses (both are widely accepted as plurals for the term) are absolutely everywhere. The only real changes to their technology in the past four decades are the transition to laser mice, the right-click button, and the scroll wheel. It looks like mice are here to stay, despite recent innovations such as touch screens. Experts say the mouse is still difficult to beat in terms of ease of use and functionality. On the mouse’s 40th birthday, computer-device maker Logitech announced that it had produced its one-billionth mouse. The Swiss company produces nearly 8 million mice a month. The pioneer, Douglas Engelbart, never received a penny for his world-changing invention. His patent ran out before computer companies started mass-producing mice.

1. In 2018 the computer mouse is turning 50.
False.
No information in the text.
True.

2. Very few people attended the first public demonstration of the “position indicator” at the conference in California.
No information in the text.
True.
False.

3. In the beginning, the revolutionary new device had a wooden body.
No information in the text.
False.
True.

4. Nobody in Engelbart’s team remembers which of them first came up with the nickname “mouse” for the device.
No information in the text
True.
False.

5. The correct plural of the word ‘mouse’ for the device is mouses only.

True.
No information in the text.
False.

6. The computer mouse made its inventor rich.

True.
No information in the text.
False.

Read the following text and mark the correct answer for questions 7. to 11.

If you’re looking for inspiration, you couldn’t find a better place than Andalucia to enjoy your holiday and improve your painting skills. Our relaxing, inspiring and fun-filled painting holidays are designed to help both experienced painters and beginners to release their talent under the instructions of tutors from around the world.
Based in the Andalucian village of Torrox, our guests discover the beautiful Andalucian landscape featuring spectacular valleys, mountains and beaches. They are able to immerse themselves in the process of drawing and painting, while having fun and making new friends. They also enjoy comfortable seven-day hotel accommodation, wonderful local food and wine and great value for money.
We provide easels, drawing boards, sun umbrellas, water containers and lightweight folding chairs. We ask you to bring paints and brushes. A materials list will be sent to you.
On Day 1, you will be collected from Malaga Airport and taken to the charming village of Torrox Pueblo. Transfer is free of charge. Our shuttle buses leave the airport at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. only. Dinner will be served at a local restaurant at 7 p.m.
During the next few days you will be painting on location in the wild countryside around Torrox – on the beach, capturing the water, fishermen and their boats, and at Casa Maria, a delightful Andalucian house with stunning views over the mountains and the Mediterranean.
On Day 8, the day of departure, courtesy transfer to Malaga Airport will leave Torrox at 9 a.m. For other times of the day, a private taxi can be arranged. The fare is 60 euro, one way, payable by the guest to the driver.
For a more detailed day-by-day itinerary of the painting holiday, visit our company website.

7. The painting holiday in Andalucia, Spain, is open to
beginners as well as to experienced painters.
only advanced painters with experience.
only students from art schools.
only beginners in the art of painting.

8. The holiday-makers will be
taught painting by famous Spanish artists.
treated to foods from different countries.
taken on tours all around Spain.
put up at a local hotel.

9. The holiday-makers are asked to bring their own
paints and brushes.
drawing boards.
folding chairs.
sun umbrellas.

10. On the day of arrival, the travel agency provides
shuttle bus service every two hours.
free lunch on arrival at the hotel.
free transportation from the airport.

two shuttle bus rides in the morning.

11. If you opt for a taxi from Torrox to Malaga Airport, you will have to
give 16 euro to the driver.
pay 60 euro for the ride.
pay extra to the travel agent.
leave money with the hotel receptionist.

Read the following text and mark the correct answer for questions 12. to 15.

Once, an old man, a boy, and a donkey were travelling from one town to another. They decided that the boy would ride the donkey, and the old man would walk alongside. While moving down the road, they passed a group of people, who began speaking among themselves, saying what a shame it was for such a strong, young boy to be riding on the donkey, leaving this old, weak man to walk alongside. The boy overheard their words, and, feeling ashamed, suggested that the old man should ride the donkey, and that he would walk alongside.
A while later, they passed another group of people, who began commenting on how shocking it was to see this man riding the donkey, while making such a small boy walk. The two overheard their comments, and decided that they should both just walk and put an end to all these opinions.
Eventually, they passed some more villagers, who began to laugh at how silly it was for these two people to be walking when they had a perfectly good donkey to ride. The man and the boy decided that maybe the critics were right, and they decided to both ride the donkey.
Soon, they ran into another group of people who were unpleasantly surprised to see such animal cruelty. What a load to put on this poor little creature! Hearing their words, the man and boy felt terrible. They wanted to give the poor donkey a break, and decided to carry the donkey for the rest of their way.
While crossing a bridge, they lost their hold on the animal, and he fell into the river, to be seen no more. The moral of this story: If you try to please everyone, you will eventually lose yourself!

12. Why did the boy get off the donkey?
He thought he was too heavy a load for the animal.
He overheard some people criticising him for leaving the old man to walk.
He believed the old man was too weak to walk.
The old man insisted that they should change places.

13. How did the old man and the boy react to the comments of the second group of people?

They didn’t pay attention to the onlookers’ remarks.
They got very angry at being so unfairly criticised.
They decided that the boy should get back on the donkey.
They agreed that both of them should walk.

14. Why did the old man and the boy finally decide to carry the donkey?
Because the animal was too tired to walk further.
Because the villagers made fun of their stupidity.
Because the villagers advised them to do so.
Because they felt bad about being cruel to the animal.

15. Which of the following statements best captures the moral of the story?
Nobody should be criticised for their beliefs.
Always be alert to the challenges when crossing a bridge.
Don’t let other people’s opinions kill your own inner voice.
Be willing to take into account the opinions of others.

Read the following text and mark the correct answer for questions 16. to 20.

TV Allowance

In the 1990s, parents were given the ultimate weapon to win the war over how much TV their children watched. Instead of constantly fighting to limit TV time, they had the job done for them by an electronic device. It would switch off the TV set once the previously fixed period of screen time ran out, leaving the child to turn to other activities such as reading or playing in the fresh air.
The gadget called TV Allowance was invented by Miami photographer Randal Levenson, a former engineer, who despaired of ever reducing his three children’s screen time. “There was a lot of anger in the house about the TV and Nintendo usage,” said Mr Levenson. His response was to build a calculator-sized box to be plugged into the TV. Using a code, the Levensons set the four hours that their three boys were allowed to watch per week. Each kid had his own code, and when his time was up, the screen went blank. The gadget could block out specific periods such as homework time and could not be disconnected by frustrated youngsters.
“They’ve got their lives back,” said Mr Levenson’s wife. “Not that they were total couch potatoes, but they spent a lot of time in front of the TV. However, the problem was, in fact, that we were giving up. After all, you could only say ‘No’ so many times. But the unemotional gadget can go on saying ‘No’ for as long as necessary.”
Of course, being children and therefore devious, the boys soon found ways of getting round the gadget, if not beating it. They switched the set off for advertisements and they bartered with each other for TV time.
“It took the kids a couple of weeks but then they accepted the situation,” said Mr Levenson, who decided to market the gadget after neighbors asked him to make units for them. “The device teaches youngsters time management. They come to find that there are other things in life besides watching TV.”
Today the gadget, which also controls video games, is still popular with parents and sells on Amazon for less than \$30.

16. TV Allowance was invented by a frustrated parent.
False.
True.
No information in the text.

17. According to Mrs Levenson, the real problem was that her kids were completely obsessed with watching TV.
No information in the text.
False.
True.

18. Mrs Levenson thinks the gadget can discipline children better because it has no emotions.
False.
True.
No information in the text.

19. After their TV time was limited, the kids’ reading skills improved enormously.
No information in the text.
False.
True.

20. Today, TV Allowance is considered old-fashioned and is out of use.
False.
No information in the text.
True.

Read the text below. Then read the questions that follow it and choose the best answer to each question 21. to 25.

Clever Hans

Do animals use language? Can they think like humans? These questions have long haunted man, both scientifically and in the popular imagination. The dream of an intellectual interaction with animals came true about a century ago and caused enormous excitement worldwide.
It began with a German mathematics teacher by the name of Wilhelm Von Osten. He strongly believed that animal intelligence was greatly underestimated by the human race. To prove his point, Von Osten decided to attempt to teach three different animals – a cat, a bear and a horse named Hans. The first two didn’t turn out so well and he abandoned his attempts, but to his delight, the horse did seem to respond to Von Osten’s mathematical training.
First the horse learnt to identify any number under 10 written on a blackboard by tapping his hoof. Von Osten was excited by this progress and decided to test the horse further. He began writing out basic mathematical problems and attempted to train Hans to recognize simple symbols. This proved relatively easy for the animal and before long he was able to provide correct answers to a variety of problems, including fractions, square roots and multiplication.
Von Osten decided to take Hans on the road and soon he was performing free shows all over Germany. The horse could count the number of persons in the audience, perform arithmetic operations, read the clock, recognize and identify playing cards, and knew the calendar of the whole year. In response to a question he would tap with his hooves either to indicate a number or the right option among many given.
Despite the fact that his accuracy wasn’t 100%, Hans’ abilities were impressive enough to draw large crowds, as well as attract the attention of skeptics such as Germany’s board of education. The latter decided that they wanted to investigate Hans’ abilities, which Von Osten readily agreed to. After all, he knew he was no charlatan and there was no fraud to be exposed.
The investigation team became known as the Hans Commission and included a psychologist, a few school teachers, a circus manager, two zoologists, and a horse trainer. After thorough investigation and testing, the commission concluded in 1904 that there was nothing fake about Hans’ abilities and that he really was a gifted horse!

21. What firm belief did Wilhelm Von Osten have about animals?
That they can never be taught like humans.
That they are much more intelligent than people imagine.
That some of them are brighter than others.
That their intelligence is lower than human intelligence.

22. What was the first maths lesson the horse learnt?
To multiply numbers by 10.
To recognise numbers smaller than 10.
To add small numbers together.

To interpret simple symbols.

23. Which of the following is true of Von Osten’s experience of animal training?
He was disappointed at Hans’ slow progress.
He gave up teaching the cat and the bear.

He made money by showing Clever Hans from town to town.
He punished his ‘student’ for wrong answers.

24. Who expressed doubt in Hans’ abilities?
The education authorities.
All experts in psychology and zoology.
Most people in the audience at shows.
The mass media.

25. What was the purpose of the Hans Commission?

To attempt to improve the horse’s abilities.
To plan a broad animal training programme.

To decide if the claims made about Hans were genuine.
To determine if Hans’ maths accuracy was 100%.

Read the text below. Then read the questions that follow it and choose the best answer to each question 26. to 30.

No matter what type of store you walk into – from big supermarkets to stores for technical appliances – you’ll find all types of carefully engineered tricks that get you to part with cash. Here are some subtle ways marketers use to tempt you into buying more.
First, they break you in with cheap items. It’s no coincidence that the first thing you see in most stores is a bargain bag of candy or half-priced socks. Such small inexpensive buys are often called “open-the-wallet” items, and are designed to break a psychological anti-spending barrier when you enter a store.
Also, they tempt you with scents. When you walk into a grocery store, you smell bread baking or chicken roasting in the delicatessen area because retailers know that those yummy smells get customers to buy more. And it’s not just true for food shops. Working with an appliance store, researcher Martin Lindstrom pumped in the smell of apple pie, and the sales of ovens and fridges went up 23 percent.
The bag of tricks is really big. Many stores play music with a rhythm that’s much slower than the average heartbeat, which makes you spend more time in the store – and buy 29 percent more. They tease you with color as they know that bright colors put you in a good mood and inspire you to make impulse purchases. They let you touch and even handle the merchandise. Research confirms that the more time you spend handling a product, the more likely you are to pay for it. It’s little wonder why Apple stores line their tables with demo phones and computers, or why car salesmen are happy to offer a test drive.

26. According to the text, shops display cheap little items near the entrance to give customers a little push to start spending.
True.
No information in the text.
False.

27. Perfume counters are often positioned at the front of department stores in order to attract customers with pleasant smells.
False.
No information in the text.
True.

28. Many stores play fast, energising music to inspire customers to buy more.
No information in the text.
False.
True.

29. Sales are bigger when customers are allowed to only look at the items without touching them.
No information in the text.
True.
False.

30. The main idea of the text is that we are all being manipulated when we shop.
False.
True.
No information in the text.

USE OF ENGLISH

Read the text below and for each numbered gap choose the word or phrase that best suits the gap, marking your answers for questions 31. to 45.

Looking Good

In her Little Black Book of Style, Nina Garcia, fashion director of U.S. Elle magazine, says: “The secret to looking fabulous is not about slavishly (31) ______ fashion or looking like a supermodel. It’s about finding your own style.” It means that young people can (32) ______ practically (33) ______ clothes they want and needn’t bother about the (34) ______ trendy item on the glitzy shop windows. Nina advises young people to (35) _____ lots of clothes until they find the ones they feel most (36) ______ in. There are two important factors they should (37) ______ in mind. First, clothes should fit properly and be (38) ______ too large nor too small. Second, they should (39) _____ the customer’s lifestyle because in the end, it is a person’s lifestyle that should dictate their wardrobe.
Our choice of clothing says a lot about our personalities and our positive or negative (40) _______ to life. Some people like to (41) ______ to the same colours and design year after year, (42) ______ others cannot do without constant changes. One way or another, the refreshing news is that we are becoming less (43) ______ on the decisions of the big fashion bosses when it comes to choosing our clothes. Ironically, it is often the people with less money who seem to understand style best, maybe because they (44) ______ purchases more carefully, or because they perfect the art of mixing expensive items with cheaper finds. As Giorgio Armani said once, “Elegance is the result of a natural balance between simplicity and intelligence. It is a quality which, contrary to popular (45) ______, does not require deep pockets.”

31. (31)
following
keeping
trailing
holding

32. (32)
wear
dress up
put
dress

33. (33)
every
some
any
each

34. (34)
final
latest
last
up-to-date

35. (35)
examine
try on
try up
attempt

36. (36)
appropriate
suitable
convenient
comfortable

37. (37)
bear
bring
carry
remember

38. (38)
either
neither
nor
not

39. (39)
agree
match
correspond
answer to

40. (40)
attitude
manner
behaviour
position

41. (41)
insist
stay
remain
stick

42. (42)
meanwhile
as far as
as long as
while

43. (43)
controlled
governed
dependent
subject

44. (44)
think
look
consider
overthink

45. (45)
agreement
belief
acceptance
trust

For each of the sentences below, choose the word or phrase that best completes its meaning, marking your answers 46. to 50.

46. From the earliest times _______ legends of men attempting to fly.
there have been
it has been
there are
have been

47. I told him this would end badly. Why ___________ listen to me?!
won’t he ever
he never will
can’t he never
ever he can’t

48. Excuse me, do you mind _______ a photo of us?
if you make
to take
taking
making

49. When they woke up, the sun __________ over the mountain.
has already risen
was already raised
had already risen
already had raised

50. If you want, you can make a short speech but you ___________.
needn’t to
wouldn’t
don’t have to
mustn’t

Sentence Transformations

Complete the second sentence below so that it is as close as possible in meaning to the first one

The last time I went to a circus was when I was eight.

I haven’t _______________________________ I was eight.

All the cars I have driven before were slower than this one.

This is the ____________________________________ driven.

“Make sure you don’t leave the lights on when you go out,” my roommate told me.

My roommate reminded _________________________ off the lights before I went out.

Three foreign journalists have interviewed the President so far.

So far the President _______________________ three foreign journalists.

“Does the secretary know where the boss went?” my colleague asked yesterday.

Yesterday my colleague asked if _________________________________________ .

“You were the one that broke the trust between us!” my partner said, pointing at me.

My partner accused _____________________________________ the trust between us.

If there’s no rain, we’ll hold the ceremony in the garden.

Unless it ______, __________________ held in the garden.

I’m really sorry I lied to you.

I really wish ______________________________ you the truth.

The guest drank so much that he fell asleep on the table.

If the guest had ____________, ___________________ asleep on the table.

Despite its ugly looks, this phone application is extremely useful.

This phone application is extremely useful, ___________________ looks ugly.

WRITING

On your sheet write a text in standard English of about 160-170 words on ONE of the following topics.

1. You have decided to enter the international ‘Dear Alien’ contest for the best letter to an imaginary pen pal from outer space. Writers are free to describe whichever aspects of our Earthian life they find most important, or most amusing to an extraterrestrial audience.
Begin your letter with “Dear Alien” and sign it with the name of Jill or Jack.

2. To some people, graffiti is an art form. To others, it’s vandalism, which is a crime. Where do you stand between these poles? Does graffiti have a good purpose? Does it have a downside?
Express your views on the issue.