That evening, after Martin dropped me off at the hotel, I found a place to sit among the armchair atolls in the oceanic great hall. Later, I was summoned to my table in one of the dining rooms, walls hung with prints. My meal was unassuming but tasty. I had a bit of meat pie, and a bit of cheese.

The following morning, I struck out on the well-marked walk that takes just a few hours but plunges you immediately into the grandeur of the Highlands. In the distance I saw an odd sight: a group of hikers dancing madly about the stream, waving their arms and shaking their heads.

I spread my coat on the grass and settled down to my picnic – superior crab sandwiches provided by the hotel. In a moment, I was on my feet, slapping my face and rubbing my hair while grabbing up my sandwiches with a free hand. I had forgotten the bane of the Highlands: flies, which are particularly active in late summer.

At Fort William’s excellent West Highland Museum, housed in a late Georgian building on Cameron Square, you can learn how people left a mark on this ancient landscape. They worked its trees and stones, leaving beautiful ax heads from the Stone Age, Celtic jewellery, the blade of a bronze sword. There are suggestions of myth and magic, the cement that connected people to their surroundings and the darker world beyond: amulets, cures, and trophies. And there are objects so rare and weird that they seemed to have dropped from the world beyond: so-called drift-seeds, which floated ashore from the West Indies and were turned into charms, odd-shaped or queerly colored pebbles that drew fevers, or brought a loved one home.

It was not yet dark when the London sleeper slid out of Fort William Station. I did not brood for long on the triumphs and tragedies of Highland history. When I next opened my eyes, I saw the huddled rooftops of suburban London, and a cheerful attendant, passing me a cup of tea.

12 The author decided to spend a holiday in the Highlands to …

1) ride an exclusive train.

2) spend some time on his own.

3) get away from the busy capital.

4) see what the Highlands are known for.

Ответ:

13 It in Paragraph 3 (and a lake running alongside it) refers to the …

1) lakeshore.

2) street.

3) shop.

4) church.

Ответ:

14 Which statement about the author’s fishing experience is FALSE?

1) His fishing skills slowly improved.

2) His attempts to catch something were useless.

3) The experience was quite satisfying.

4) The guide showed him how to throw the line.

Ответ:

15 Unassuming in Paragraph 4 (My meal was unassuming but tasty) most probably means …

1) heavy.

2) healthy.

3) modest.

4) inexpensive.

Ответ:

16 Hikers behaved strangely because they were …

1) attacked by insects.

2) performing a ritual.

3) impressed by the Highlands.

4) having an argument.

Ответ:

17 What did the author NOT see at the museum?

1) Old textiles.

2) Magic stones.

3) Parts of weapons.

4) Ancient charms.

Ответ:

18 How can the author’s weekend experience be described?

1) Thought-provoking.

2) Eye-opening.

3) Time-consuming.

4) Pressure-free.

Ответ:

По окончании выполнения заданий 10–18 не забудьте перенести свои ответы в БЛАНК ОТВЕТОВ № 1! Запишите ответ справа от номера соответствующего задания, начиная с первой клеточки. При переносе ответов на задания 10 и 11 цифры записываются без пробелов, запятых и других дополнительных символов. Каждую цифру пишите в отдельной клеточке в соответствии с приведёнными в бланке образцами.

Раздел 3. Грамматика и лексика

Прочитайте приведённые ниже тексты. Преобразуйте, если необходимо, слова, напечатанные заглавными буквами в конце строк, обозначенных номерами 19–24, так, чтобы они грамматически соответствовали содержанию текстов. Заполните пропуски полученными словами. Каждый пропуск соответствует отдельному заданию из группы 19–24.