The list of topics for the exam

1. Modern Culture Nowadays.

2. Mobile phones’ contribution to our life

3. Astana Art Galleries

4. Fashion Art

5. Fashion Houses of the World

6. Are you victim of fashion?

7. Dress Code at Educational Institutions

8. The traditional Wedding Ceremony of the Kazakh people

9. Traditions and customs of ethnic group living in Kazakhstan

10. National Holidays

11. Traditional Holidays

12. The world famous carnivals

13. Teaching is my vocation

14. CV, portfolio, interview – indispensable part of getting job

15. Kazakhstan system of education

16. British system of education

17. American system of education

18. The oldest universities of the world

19. 12-year school education: advantages and disadvantages

20. The history of the Eurasian National University

21. The vast possibilities of the Internet: myth or reality

22. “Bolashak” scholarship is a big step to the country’s development

23. The rights of women in the Central Asia and Middle East

24. British calendar of holidays

25. American calendar of holidays

GRAMMAR:

Unit 1

Theme: English Tenses. Indirect speech.

Rules:

We use the Present Simple for:

• Facts of life, things that are generally true;

• Things people do or things that happen in general or habitually;

• Permanent situations that won’t charge or are unlikely to change.

We use the Present Continuous for:

• Actions at exactly this moment;

• Actions during this period of time;

• Temporary situations that will or may change.

Task: put the verbs in the correct present tense form.

1. The trains to London……from platform 5 every half an hour.(leave)

2. Leave me alone. I……….to concentrate. (try)

3. People in Italy………a lot of pasta. (eat)

4. Why ……so rude to me today? Have I done something to upset you?(you be).

5.…….this kind of music?(you like)

We use the Past Simple to talk about:

• A specific time in the past and say exactly when something happened;

• A specific time in the past but not say exactly when, because that is understood and has been established by what was previously said;

• Something that happened for a period of time in the past but is not happening in the present

We use used to+infinitive to talk about:

• Something that happened or was true for a period of time in the past, but does not happen or is not true now.

We use the Past Continuous to talk about:

• Something that continued for a period in the past;

• Two things that happened in the past; one of them happened for a period of time (Past Continuous), the other happened during the period of time (Past Simple);

• Use while, when before the past continuous and when before the Past Simple.

We use the Present Perfect to talk about:

• Something that happened in the past without saying when it happened, because you don’t know when or because it is not important when;

• Something that happened at an unspecified time in the past and has a result now;

• Something that has happened very recently;

• Use gone if the subject is still at the place mentioned: use been if they have now returned

We use the Perfect Continuous to talk about:

• Something that started in the past, continued or period and is still happening now;

• For and since are used with this meaning, for before the period of time and since before the point in time when it started;

• Something that happens repeatedly during a period starting in the past and continuing until now; lately, recently are often used with this meaning

NOTE if the verb refers to a continuing state or situation rather than an action, the Present Perfect Simple can be used.

NOTE With negative verbs, the present Perfect Simple (NOT the present perfect continuous) is usually used with for,since.

We use the past Perfect Simple to talk about:

• Two things that happened in the past which are connected in some way. One thing happened before the other.

• Use the past perfect for what happened before and the past simple for what happened after that.

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to talk about:

• Something that happened for a period of time in the past before something else in the past happened

• For,since can be used.

Exersice1. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets:

A TV correspondent is interviewing a famous woman author, who is eighty-five years old.

C: I'd like to ask you some questions about the changes you (see) in your lifetime. What is the biggest change you (notice) in the way people live?

A: That's a difficult question to answer. I guess it is the change in the younger generation. Young people (change) a lot recently. In my day, young people (be) very different.

C: In what way they (change)?

A: To my way of thinking, they (become) too casual and much too liberal in language, in dress, and in attitude in general. I guess I'm just old-fashioned.

C: Would you give me an example of what you mean?

A: Here's a small example. For the last fifteen years, since my youngest granddaughter (leave) high school, students (wear) blue jeans and T-shirts to school. Even some women-teachers (wear) pants in the classroom recently. In my day, they (kick) you out of school when you not (dress) properly.

C: What you're saying is true. Even professors at the universities (deliver) lectures in blue jeans nowadays.

A: It also seems to me that young people (tend) to start dating at earlier. They start dating at thirteen, and as you know, many couples (live) together without being married. That (be) unthinkable in my day.

C: And what is the biggest change that you personally (experience)?

A: I suppose getting married was the biggest change.

C: How long ago you (get) married?

A: I (get) married sixty years ago. My husband and I (live) happily together ever since.

C: Congratulations. It's nice to meet someone who (be) married for so long and (be) still happy.

Exersice2. Use the right form of the verbs in brackets:

I found Mother at one of the counters in the kitchen. She (slice) the chilled boiled potatoes I (make) earlier. She (have) a cup of coffee next to her, and a cigarette (dangle) from her mouth. I hated her to smoke around us, and most especially when she (work) in the kitchen. "Mother, you (mind) not smoking when you (prepare) food?" "I not (drop) cigarette ash in the salad, if that's what you (get) at," she answered. "I know you're not. I just hate the smoke, Mom. Please, put it out. If not for your health or mine, at least for your grandchildren's sake. You know what they (say) about second-hand smoke." "But the kids live in Manhattan. Think of all the polluted air they (breathe) in there." "Only too true, Mother," I (snap), "but let's not add to the problem of air pollution out here, shall we?"