The most precious gift of all текст егэ

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1) Установите соответствие между заголовками 1 — 8 и текстами A — G. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний.

1. How we got that mark
2. From a million pounds to thousands of dollars
3. What in a colour
4. Weight of money
5. Size matters
6. Money string changes source
7. Free to choose from
8. Before money comes in

A. In early societies people developed barter as a form of proto-money, when they used the things that everyone agreed to accept in trade. Various items have been used by different societies at different times. Thus, for example, Aztecs used cacao beans, Norwegians used butter, the early U.S. colonists used tobacco leaves, and Roman soldiers were paid a salary of salt. On the island of Nauru, the islanders even used rats for this purpose.

B. The first coins were made in the Kingdom of Lydia, located on the territory of Turkey in the 7th century B.C. The Lydians used weighed lumps of metal and stamped them with pictures to confirm their weight (the shape of the coins was unimportant). The process of stamping was called “minting”. In fact, the stamp on the coin was a seal that identified the person who had guaranteed the weight of that coin.

C. The well-known dollar sign has various explanations. Perhaps one of the most widely accepted is that it was the result of the evolution of the Mexican or Spanish “Ps” which was used for pesos. This theory explains that the “S” gradually came to be written over the “P”, developing a close equivalent to the American dollar “$” mark. It was widely used even before the adoption of the United States dollar in 1785.

D. The largest banknote ever issued by the Bank of England was the £1,000,000 note. Designed for use by the UK government only, the notes were canceled after just a few months, allowing very few to escape into private hands. However, just because the notes are out of service nowadays doesn’t mean that they are valueless. In 2008, one of two known surviving notes was sold at auction for almost $120,000.

E. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest banknote is the 100,000-peso note, which is of the size of a standard sheet of paper. It was created by the government of the Philippines in 1998 to celebrate a century of independence from Spanish rule. The note was offered only to collectors, who could purchase one of the limited-edition notes for 180,000 pesos, or about $3,700.

F. American Indians used to have strings of clamshells, which they called wampum and used as money. The process to make wampum was very labor intensive, which increased their value among the European traders. However, the Dutch colonists began to manufacture wampum themselves and eventually became the primary source of wampum, thereby destroying the system which had functioned for centuries.

G. Why are U.S. notes green? No one is really sure. However, in 1929, when the Bureau of Printing and Engraving began making smaller size currency, green continued to be used because its pigment was readily available in large quantities. Green is also relatively high in its resistance to chemical and physical changes, and it has been psychologically identified with the strong and stable credit of the government.

2) Прочитайте текст и заполните пропуски A — F частями предложений, обозначенными цифрами 1 — 7. Одна из частей в списке 1—7 лишняя.

The languages of integration

Every year the European Day of Languages is marked on 26 September. The idea behind the event is to raise public awareness of all the languages spoken in Europe and the importance of language learning in ___ (A). The European Day of Languages celebrates linguistic diversity as one of Europe’s strengths, ___ (B) of school.

The European Union is convinced ___ (C) compared with the professional and personal opportunities lost due to inadequate language skills. That is why many national governments encourage people to learn languages at all educational levels and at all ages during their working life.

Many local authorities provide immigrants with language training, familiarization courses on local society and culture, ___ (D). The latter elements are often provided in the immigrants’ own languages.

One example is from the Flemish city of Ghent in Belgium, ___ (E) including 1200 hours of Dutch, plus 75 hours of civic orientation courses. Hungary developed its national integration policy on the basis of a six-month pilot project called Matra ___ (F), 700 hours of cultural and legal orientation, and financial assistance with living expenses. The Finnish education system supports the maintenance and development of the mother tongues of immigrants to ensure what it calls functional bilingualism.

1. and assistance in finding jobs in a new country
2. spreading tolerance and mutual understanding
3. upbringing healthier and more athletic children
4. that the cost of promoting language learning is modest
5. that included 1200 hours of language teaching for immigrants
6. and encourages lifelong language learning in and out
7. where immigrants are offered an introductory programme

3) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

According to the author, the beauty of the exhibited sapphire ring can be fully appreciated
1) in a photograph.
2) at the exhibition.
3) in special light.
4) where it was carved.

4) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

“It” in “It is a perfect example of the exhibition’s purpose” (paragraph 1) refers to the
1) ring.
2) exhibition’s collection.
3) exhibition’sorigin.
4) exhibition’scatalogue.

5) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

Saying “they were never meant to be utilitarian” the author means that the exhibits were supposed to be
1) useful.
2) expensive.
3) decorative.
4) unusual.

6) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

According to the author (paragraph 4), some objects may be seen as
1) common things.
2) poorly manufactured.
3) spoiltin repairs.
4) collected ill-advisedly.

7) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

“Some” in “some may find it difficult to look at these rock-crystal vessels, jewels and perfume flasks as works of art” (paragraph 4) refers to the
1) exhibits.
2) visitors.
3) artists.
4) owners.

Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

The Monument Trust helped to provide
1) better attendance of the exhibition.
2) better decorated rooms.
3) furniture for the exhibition rooms.
4) better conditions for viewing the exhibits.

9) Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Показать текст. ⇓

The article was written to
1) advertise Vienna’s Kunsthistoriche Museum.
2) prove that the exhibits are works of art.
3) attract more visitors to the exhibition.
4) describe the treasures of the Hapsburgs.

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