Use of English, Task 1. For items 1–15, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). Text: “Spelling (0) ___ a major problem to many students and, indeed, native speakers of English. This is (1) ___ surprising when you consider just how illogical the English spelling (2) ___ is. The spelling of such basic words as right, through, once, and who seems to (3) ___ no relation to their (4) ___. And how can the words go, now, and though all rhyme with (5) ___ other? There have been attempts in the (6) ___ to reform English spelling. The playwright George Bernard Shaw was an enthusiastic (7) ___ of the phonetic approach. In a clever illustration of the absurdity of English spelling he suggested that the word fish be (8) ___ by the letters ‘ghoti’: the gh from enough, the o from women, and the ti from nation. When he died in 1950, he (9) ___ a large part of his estate to promote spelling reform. So why do we (10) ___ on spelling words the way we do, (11) ___ the efforts of reformers like Shaw? One reason is that we are too (12) ___ with the words as they are currently spelled. It is certain that any change in the rules (13) ___ be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to (14) ___. Another is that there is (15) ___ a variety of regional accents within the English-speaking world that it would be unfair to select just one as the standard model for spelling. Options: 1 A just B hardly C nearly D strongly; 2 A system B procedure C method D schedule; 3 A hold B keep C carry D bear; 4 A voice B speech C vocation D pronunciation; 5 A the B every C each D one; 6 A history B years C past D ages; 7 A campaigner B demonstrator C champion D candidate; 8 A described B represented C signed D written; 9 A inherited B left C gave D divided; 10 A insist B continue C keep D persist; 11 A in spite B despite C however D although; 12 A accustomed B used C friendly D familiar; 13 A would B might C ought D should; 14 A require B enforce C make D oblige; 15 A many B quite C such D so.

Перевод задания: Для пунктов 1–15 прочитайте текст и выберите слово (A, B, C или D), которое лучше всего подходит к каждому пропуску. В начале дан пример (0).

Ответы: 1 — B (hardly); 2 — A (system); 3 — D (bear); 4 — D (pronunciation); 5 — C (each); 6 — C (past); 7 — C (champion); 8 — B (represented); 9 — B (left); 10 — A (insist); 11 — B (despite); 12 — D (familiar); 13 — A (would); 14 — B (enforce); 15 — D (so).

Заполненный текст:

Spelling (0) makes a major problem to many students and, indeed, native speakers of English. This is hardly surprising when you consider just how illogical the English spelling system is. The spelling of such basic words as right, through, once, and who seems to bear no relation to their pronunciation. And how can the words go, now, and though all rhyme with each other?

There have been attempts in the past to reform English spelling. The playwright George Bernard Shaw was an enthusiastic champion of the phonetic approach. In a clever illustration of the absurdity of English spelling he suggested that the word fish be represented by the letters ‘ghoti’: the gh from enough, the o from women, and the ti from nation. When he died in 1950, he left a large part of his estate to promote spelling reform.

So why do we insist on spelling words the way we do, despite the efforts of reformers like Shaw? One reason is that we are too familiar with the words as they are currently spelled. It is certain that any change in the rules would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to enforce. Another is that there is so a variety of regional accents within the English-speaking world that it would be unfair to select just one as the standard model for spelling.

Перевод заполненного текста:

Правописание создаёт большие трудности для многих учеников и даже для носителей английского языка. В этом нет ничего удивительного, если учесть, насколько нелогична система английского правописания. Написание таких простых слов, как right, through, once и who, кажется, никак не связано с их произношением. И как слова go, now и though могут рифмоваться друг с другом?

В прошлом предпринимались попытки реформировать английское правописание. Драматург Джордж Бернард Шоу был активным сторонником фонетического подхода. Чтобы наглядно показать нелепость английского правописания, он предложил записывать слово fish буквами «ghoti»: gh — из enough, o — из women, а ti — из nation. После смерти в 1950 году он завещал значительную часть своего состояния на поддержку реформы правописания.

Почему же мы настаиваем на том, чтобы писать слова именно так, несмотря на усилия реформаторов, таких как Шоу? Одна из причин — мы слишком привыкли к нынешнему написанию слов. Несомненно, любые изменения правил было бы чрезвычайно трудно, если вообще возможно, внедрить. Другая причина — в англоязычном мире существует такое разнообразие региональных акцентов, что было бы несправедливо выбрать только один из них в качестве стандартной модели для правописания.

Примечание: В предложении «there is so a variety» грамматически ожидается «there is such a variety». Среди видимых вариантов к пропуску 15 дано such (C), поэтому по контексту и грамматике следует выбрать именно C, а не D (so).