form 10 Test on listening (Контроль аудіювання 10 кл. тексти)

Text 1“New Year Celebrations”

The last day of December and of the year is called New Year's Eve, and with it comes the celebration of all kinds and all-night parties, especially in Scotland, where it is of more importance than Christmas Day. It was and it often is a night of feasting, singing, dancing until midnight when bells ring and people greet each other with the New Year. The celebration is the same in England, Ireland and Wales. Children go singing from door to door, and are given sweets and presents.

Those who see the New Year in, join hands at midnight and sing the Scottish song of "Auld Lang Syne" as soon as the clock finishes striking twelve. This song is sung in England to nowadays, but it is not one of the Old English customs. Even in Scotland, singing it is not so very old, for the words were only written in the 18th century by Robert Berns.

At home or in restaurants most people spend the final hours of the old year and the first hours of the new year dining with friends. Champagne - the drink that traditionally symbolizes a celebration - is often served for the midnight toast on New Year's Eve.

Following a long New Year's Eve, people usually spend a quiet New Year's Day. In most homes everyone sleeps late, then enjoys lunch and TV with the family and friends. New Year's Day is the time for starting new life programs and giving up bad habits, for making New Year resolutions. But this winter Festive season is expensive. To earn extra money for presents and celebrations a lot of young people do part-time work in December.

Ringing out the old year, ringing in the new; is a custom followed in most countries and one which will continue for many centuries more.

Text 2 “A Story”

One day some Americans were having dinner at a hotel in London, when fish was put on the table one of them, a young man, said: "Let's examine the fish carefully, perhaps we'll find a diamond in it." Everybody began to laugh, but an old man said quietly: "Yes, I'm sure we have all heard stories like that. Let me tell you what happened to me once."

"When I was a young man,' he began, "I worked for a big company in New York; and I was sent to England to do some work there. I was in love with a beautiful girl, and before I left for England, we decided that we would get married when I returned home.

I stayed in England for two months. I sent letters and postcards to the girl almost every day, but after the first two weeks I didn't receive any answers. But I didn't think anything was the matter, and before I left for home, I bought a beautiful diamond ring for her.

On the ship one morning, a telegram was brought to me. It was from a friend in New York, who told me that the girl had changed her mind and was going to get married to another man. I was so angry that I threw the diamond ring into the sea.

My friend came to the port to meet me, and he invited me to dinner. While we were sitting down at the table and I was eating fish, I suddenly felt something hard in my mouth. What do you think it was?"

"The diamond!" all the Americans cried.

"No", the old man answered, "It was the fish bone."

 Text 3 “American Meals”

Americans do not like to prepare meals at home. They prefer to eat at cafes or restaurants. Usu­ally they have three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. American breakfast as a rule consists of butter, jam, bread or a roll. Usually people also eat cereal with milk, some cheese, soft-boiled eggs and drink orange juice, tea or coffee. Most of Americans do not come back home to lunch, they have it at Fast Food Restaurants. The most common menu consists of apple-pie, hamburger, cheeseburger, sandwiches. There are a lot of "fast food" shops to buy something to eat quickly. They are situated on many street corners. These sell hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks like Coca-Cola. For dinner they have meat, fried or baked potatoes with ketchup, corn, peas and macaroni. In general many drinks are drunk with ice, even tea.