The Etruscans

The Etruscans were an ancient people whose civilisation reached its peak in the sixth century BC. They were a powerful nation who ruled northern Italy. Indeed, the name of the Italian region Tuscany has its (1) [...] in an Etruscan name. In spite of their power, however, (2) [...] historians know very little about them, and their lives remain a mystery today.

The Etruscans spoke a different language and (3) [...] a very different religion to their neighbours in the region. While writing on buildings, coins and objects like pots gives us a (4) [...] at their language, unfortunately, no books written in Etruscan survive today. (5) [...] a result, their language has disappeared and almost nothing is known about their history and their lives.

(6) [...] their language has gone, we still have many of the beautiful works of art that they produced. Museums in Italy contain several examples of their pottery, gold jewellery, (7) [...] some wonderful frescos. Art experts particularly (8) [...] the beautiful statues that they have left behind. Recent exhibitions of these artworks have meant that Etruscan culture is now more popular than (9) [...].

So why did the Etruscans disappear? The answer lies in the rise of Rome. In the beginning, the Etruscans were more powerful than the Romans, and their kings, the Tarquins, ruled Rome. But as time passed, Rome (10) [...] stronger and stronger. Slowly, the towns and cities of the Etruscans were (11) [...] by the Roman Empire. Once the Romans had finally succeeded (12) [...] defeating them, the Etruscans' individual culture vanished, leaving the mystery that we have today.

Question №1

start

beginning

opening

origin

Question №2

actual

current

nowadays

modern

Question №3

had

did

made

got

Question №4

stare

glance

glimpse

peer

Question №5

For

Question №6

Despite

Although

But

Nevertheless

Question №7

in addition

what's more

as well as

too

Question №8

delight

approve

confirm

admire

Question №9

never

ever

always

beforehand

Question №10

developed

changed

became

made

Question №11

put away

bought out

taken over

left out

Question №12

about

from

На прохождение теста осталось 37 минут
Grammar and vocabulary. Task 2. Прочитайте текст и для каждого пропуска подберите соответствующее ему слово. Впечатайте слово в рамку для ответа. В каждую рамку можно вписать только одно слово.

Question №13

Childhood Obesity

The problem of obesity, which refers to the excessive accumulation of body fat, is affecting more and more children in Western society (1) [...] days. It is estimated that about one (2) [...] ten six-year-olds in the United Kingdom is obese. Meanwhile, figures in the United States suggest that as many as 30 percent of American children (3) [...] be overweight. Although very (4) [...] health problems have been observed in obese children so far, it is believed that they run a greater risk of developing conditions (5) [...] as high blood pressure or heart disease later on in life. Already, the number of children suffering from type II diabetes, a serious illness that previously mostly affected middle aged people, (6) [...] gone up. Experts blame unhealthy eating habits, (7) [...] the consumption of high-calorie junk food, (8) [...] this weight problem. These habits combined with the sedentary lifestyle of many children, (9) [...] spend hours in front of their computers or TVs, are responsible for most cases of obesity. Part of the solution lies in parents, teachers and doctors educating children about the importance of a balanced diet. Children need to (10) [...] aware of what they eat and the effect (11) [...] has on their bodies. Additionally, they should (12) [...] encouraged to go out more and exercise on a regular basis.

(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)

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На прохождение теста осталось 36 минут
Grammar and vocabulary. Task 3. Прочитайте текст с пропусками. Образуйте от слова, данного заглавными буквами, слово, подходящее к соответствующему пропуску в тексте.

Question №14

The Contact Lens

For people like myself who have suffered from poor eye sight ever since our (1) [...], the contact lens must surely be one of the most important (2) [...]. Leonardo Da Vinci first thought of these (3) [...] little devices in the early 1500s and left us some sketches and (4) [...]. His ideas were developed by (5) [...] in the 1800s who used glass to make heavy and uncomfortable lenses that could only be worn for a couple of hours, as they were quite (6) [...]. In the 20^th century, however, further (7) [...], such as the use of plastic and the creation of lenses that could be (8) [...]to the cornea, considerably extended the wearing time. Since the 1970s, the (9) [...] of soft lenses and the introduction of coloured and (10) [...] lenses have revolutionised the market even more.